Music Without Borders
by permafrost13
Summary: The HTT girls was rescued from the middle of nowhere, only to be sent in an offshore plant operated by soldiers. Their carefree, random adventures awaits!
1. The Recruitment Part 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own K-ON and MGS: PW. All rights to their respective owners.

Just another story involving the HTT girls.

**Warning**: This could get a bit random sooner. Will try to keep this interesting as possible, please bear with me :D

Uploaded this here by some requests. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Musique Sans Frontieres**

* * *

It was a hot afternoon in the middle of nowhere, lost at sea as they couldn't expect help anytime soon. After wandering off too far from the shore three days ago, they found themselves trapped in the vast, unforgiving waters that can anytime consume them. The simple trip of catching fish and sightseeing ended up as a tragedy for them. After all, it was the club president's idea, who claimed to be the captain and navigator of this voyage, to venture deeper into the heart of the sea and eventually lose their course. The yacht's engines were already out of commission, leaving them no other choice but to hold their position and wait for a miracle to come from the horizon.

Although the yacht itself featured sophisticated amenities that anyone could ever wish for, the stranded girls had no idea how long they would last. The onboard GPS seemed to be out of order and the other navigation equipments were useless. In the positve side, they brought in a lot of food than they orginally planned earlier, leaving them to properly ration their supplies before everything runs out.

"I'm hungry, Azu-nyan..." Hirasawa Yui weakly complained, fanning herself due to the heat penetrating the room. The pigtailed girl just replied with a heavy sigh, her eyes fixed outside the window.

"We need to ration our supplies, senpai."

"You already ate your part for today, Yui." Tainaka Ritsu said, opening a bag of potato chips. "We don't know when we will be staying out here."

"Can I have some?" Yui asked with gleaming eyes as if she hadn't ate for hours. In fact, she ate one just a few minutes ago. "I already ate mine..."

"Eh? No way, I saved this one from yesterday."

Yui puffed her cheeks. "Awww...Ricchan, just one, please?"

Ritsu reluctantly picked a potato chip, then tossed it behind her. "Fetch!"

"I'm not a dog, Ricchan!"

"Shut up! At least someone should go outside and watch for other boats or ships that might pass here." Akiyama Mio exclaimed, slamming the table with a world map clutched in her hand. Yui was startled from her seat and Ritsu was furious from the sudden outburst of her friend.

"Then, you should be the first one doing that!" Ritsu answered back.

"Yeah...thanks to you, we're stuck out here!"

Kotobuki Tsumugi thought of something to ease the tension between the two, intensified by the heat and exhaustion and to prevent a possible outrage inside the room.

Tsumugi willingly raised her hand as she tilted her head to the side. "Uhm...I'll go first then."

"NO! The heat will fry you!" warned Ritsu.

"Fried takuan...that's good," Yui said, already hallucinating due to hunger. "Let's have some!"

"Are you sure Mugi?"

"Uh huh." She nodded and went to the upper deck to keep watch from any ships that will pass by. Mio went back to analyzing the map to know their current location at the moment. Azusa nervously glanced at the horizon through the window, still wondering when this will end and Yui decided to take her usual nap. After awhile, Mio finally pinpointed their location. She was reading a book about navigation since they were out in the ocean and it successfully paid off. Although they're out there for quite some time now, they haven't lose hope that they will be saved from their situation.

Mio announced with a frown, "If my estimation is correct, we are currently in the middle of Pacific Ocean."

Upon hearing their current whereabouts, Azusa was freed from her trance with eyes widened and Ritsu almost sprayed Yui with the tea she was drinking.

"We wandered THAT far?" Azusa cried, tending not to believe what she had heard from her senpai.

"Remember that we travelled at the yacht's top speed not long before the engine gave out." She replied uneasily, trying not to remember the yacht violently skidded on the seawater and how she was screaming for her dear life. It was more of a dreadful experience than a fun one for her. She could only thank the gods that they were still alive.

"THAT'S INSANE!" Ritsu exclaimed as if the world began to corrode by itself. "We can't possibly..."

"NO, YOU'RE INSANE! It was your idea!" Mio furiously interrupted.

"Yeah, you could always blame me, but what now?"

"This yacht has no sail to begin with, we barely have enough food for the next few days, and we can't expect any help from the island as well," Mio stated.

Ritsu went for a dramatic pause before she spoke in a deep tone. "In other words, we're doomed."

There was a brief silence afterwards; they never thought that everything would end on being trapped and helpless in the middle of the ocean. Laying down the facts, they were only high school students who could play musical instruments, eat sweets and drink tea. They had little experience to those kind of situations. After all, the After School Tea Time wouldn't be established if they were not inclined on those activities. Soon, footsteps were heard walking towards the room, which sounded as if it were in a hurry. Tsumugi entered carrying a huge smile with her and the news that was anticipated by all.

"Everyone! Someone finally noticed us!" squealed Tsumugi, hands tightly clasped together

"Really? Thank goodness!" Mio said as she stood up.

Ritsu followed, casually stretching her arms. "It's about time. I thought we're gonna rot here..."

Everyone rushed outside except Yui to see a helicopter approaching their spot. They waved their hands up high, relieved that someone would rescue them. The chopper hovered above them, sending gust of wind to the girls on the deck as they covered their eyes. The doors slid open and someone threw a ladder rope down. The person was wearing a dark variation of fatigue typically worn by soldiers at war, black boots and mask covering his entire head, leaving the only opening for his eyes to see through. There was a prominent insignia placed in the left arm of the person's uniform. The sight of it made Mio shiver. Who would know that their rescuers were actually soldiers? What was interesting was that the soldier seemed to be different, in a sense that he belonged to a military group they never heard of before.

"Mugi...Are you sure they're here to rescue us?" asked Mio as she tried to calm herself down, but to no avail. This was one of her first encounter with a heavily-armed group. She knew that soldiers were supposed to protect innocent people and hoped they won't hurt them. Tsumugi, on the other hand, remained her composure as if this was an everyday scene.

"Sorry, Mio-chan, I don't know either," Tsumugi replied. "It seems they're from an army of sorts. I can't tell..."

"Mugi-senpai...Don't tell me they're from your private army..."

"Don't worry, Azusa-chan, we don't have such things as that." The blonde haired girl just winked at her. "If we do have one, my childhood dream would come true."

"C-Childhood dream? You're kidding, Mugi-senpai..."

"So...they're terrorists then?" Ritsu guessed as she stared at the soldier's uniform. Upon hearing this, Mio sat down and hugged her knees in fear.

The soldier, upon setting foot on the yacht's bridge, glanced on the girls for a moment before he spoke in a loud tone, fighting the sound of the whirling rotor. "What on earth are you guys doing in the middle of the ocean?"

Tsumugi stepped forward to answer. "Uh...Sir, our yacht's engines were broken and we don't have any means of contact for someone to help us. Basically, we're trapped here."

"Where did you came from anyway?" The puzzled man asked.

"Japan."

"Sorry, lass. Come again? Can't hear you."

"JAPAN!"

"WHAT THE...YOU'RE JOKING, RIGHT?" The man shouted, astonished himself upon hearing it. "Anyways, you might want to drop by to our place for awhile. We're currently on an operation now, we can't take you back ourselves."

"Absolutely! Where will you take us?" The blonde keyboardist asked.

"Outer Heaven. I'll contact Mother Base to pick you up."

"I don't want the sound of this Mugi..." Mio was trembling more than before. The last thing they needed were soldiers from an unknown faction and sending them to the heart of their operations.

Azusa had her share of doubts as well. "Me too...something's not right here."

From the name of the soldier's base alone, they could only wonder what things awaits them.

"At least we're gonna be save. Stop complaining, Mio," said Ritsu with a rather irritated tone. "As if we have other choices..."

"I need four fulton kits here." The man spoke through a radio of some kind. The chopper descended a little to the yacht's starboard. Another person, wearing the same uniform as the first one, leaped to the deck and handed the requested equipment to him.

"Sir, we need to depart soon," The other man informed as he saluted.

"I know, this won't take long." He replied then turned to the girls, handing over the fulton recovery kits to each of them. "Attach the harness to your waist, then your good to go. We're going now."

"THAT'S IT? YOU'RE LEAVING US HERE?" Ritsu exclaimed as she expected they would be given a free trip to safety.

"Don't worry. Like I said before, I requested a chopper to fetch you. If you don't have any more questions, we're leaving."

Only the sound of the chopper's rotor could be heard as the girls looked more confused.

"Good luck. I might never see you girls again after this operation, but...who gives a damn anyway?"

The two soldiers immediately returned to their helicopter and went south of their position. They watch their rescuers disappear in the horizon before checking what have been handed to them, apparently their ticket for Outer Heaven.

"The soldier told us to strap this harness to our waist..." Azusa recalled, carefully inspecting the fulton recovery kit. "Mugi-senpai? What is this exactly?"

"I think it has something to do with retrieval operations," Mugi replied. "If I heard it right, this thing is vital to recover humans and things alike from the ground."

"Uhm...Mugi-senpai, when did you start going to military school?"

"Well, Mio, you try it first," Ritsu said with a huge grin.

Mio shot a glare at the drummer. Ritsu really knew how to press Mio's angry buttons. "Idiot? Why me!"

"Are you scared?"

"No, I'm not...Maybe you are."

Mio eagerly strapped the harness around her waist then the container holding the self-inflating balloon was suddenly released.

"What? A...balloon?" asked Ritsu, slightly confused.

"RRRIIIITTSSSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUU!"

The three could only gape at their friend in worry as she was drifted above to the open sky by the helium balloon. It was an amusing but terrifying sight to be experienced by anyone.

"Well...at least we already knew what will happen, right? Who's next?"

"This is only the start, right?" Azusa mumbled. "What could possibly happen next?"

* * *

The orange sky was a spectacle sight as the sun continued to sink below the horizon. The ocean breeze went a tad colder as the night approaches. An abandoned yacht was solely floating on the vast ocean...

"H-Hey? Where are you guys?"

Well, the yacht was not really deserted...

"Where is everybody?" Yui muttered as she watched the sun go down in the horizon. "Hmph, I'll eat their food if they won't show up."

The guitarist impatiently marched back to the cabin as she rummaged in every possible hiding places for food.


	2. The Recruitment Part 2

Disclaimer: [Here]

* * *

**Musique Sans Frontieres**

* * *

They were all resting in the chopper that retrieved them thousands of feet above sea level. Mio was still out cold. She was relentlessly crying for help while being drifted by the balloon earlier. Anyone couldn't blame her since it caught her off guard, unknowing of her fate as she accidentally opened the kit with its self-inflating balloon. She's not alone since her companions were quite dazed by the perilous experience given by the Fulton Recovery System. That was quite a lesson for them to remember in that day alone, and to think of it, the day was not yet over.

"Ack...I think I'm going to lose my breakfast with all of this flying...," Ritsu said weakly. "Now I know what it feels to be a balloon..."

Azusa placed a hand on the bassist's cold forehead, still out cold. She gave off a sigh and stared at the drummer."Mio-senpai is still unconscious...It's your fault Ritsu-senpai."

"Well...we made it in one piece...what could go wrong this time?"

"Hey," a soldier called out to them, clutching a carbine in both hands. "That was quite a yacht for you to have but I didn't think you guys would actually cross the Pacific on your own."

Azusa reluctantly nodded. "Yes. But if we are to blame someone in this helicopter, that would be..." She scanned around her and pointed a finger on the brunette wearing a yellow headband.

"I see. She's a troublemaker type, perhaps?"

Ritsu turned her head and glared at the soldier. "You better watch it, sackhead!"

"Uh, scary."

"Don't be, sir. She's just like that."

It was already evening before the group reach the place referred as 'Outer Heaven'. Mio finally regained consciousness and condemned Ritsu about the incident. They were still anxious of what will be their fate by being brought onto this base; one thing they knew was that this was more better than being stuck in the yacht. The girls soon noticed from the distance a large offshore complex, a perfectly fit as a military base. There were also some plants under construction, probably the faction orginally planned to further expand the place with more facilities. They approached the runway strip of the base which also had several helicopters and armored vehicles on the place, probably there were more to be seen inside the hangars. The girls were amazed how the place was built above the water's surface and wondered why did the military group chose a remote location such as this. Perhaps it wouldn't be called 'Outer Heaven' for nothing.

The helicopter slowly descended and finally made contact to the platform. The girls, upon getting out of the chopper, were escorted by two masked soldiers to the command center, which was the distinctive and prominent building in the base's core. As the group walked, they noticed more soldiers around the vicinity. Some soldiers were having their evening jog, some on patrol, while others were having a hearty chat with each other. Windows from the buildings were already illuminated, as well as the small lamps placed in regular intervals on the bridges that interconnecting the plants.

"...They won't do anything to us, right?" Mio asked nervously.

"No...no, they won't," Tsumugi calmly replied.

Azusa could only make a doubtful stare. "Mugi-senpai, you seemed so relaxed...Are you really sure you aren't related with these people? You could just..."

"Azusa-chan...I told you before...we don't have a private group like this," She interrupted then gave Azusa a smile.

"We're almost here..."

They went inside the command center and entered a room that seemed to be a lounge to find a man with short, blonde hair patiently waiting for them in a table. He was dressed differently from all of the soldiers in the base. He had a yellow scarf around his neck and wears sunglasses which gave him a striking image, implying that he might be one of the important persons in the base. He looked at the escort soldiers before giving off a sigh.

"So...this is our new recruits, huh?" He said reluctantly, eyeing the group carefully. "What is this? They looked like high school students to me..."

"We ARE high school students!" Ritsu yelled with a stomp of her right foot. "What do you think we are anyway?"

The blonde man was somewhat astonished then crossed his arms. "Wait...you're not here to join MSF?"

"Huh? Why the hell would we join?" The drummer exclaimed as she placed her hands on her waist then a playful smile crossed her face. "I've been wondering all this time, you know? Could it be that you guys are with the Russians?"

The man opened his mouth in his disbelief. "What the...We have nothing to do with the Soviets!"

"A-ha! You're with the Americans then?"

"Not anymore!"

"Now, I've reached my final conclusion!" Ritsu whirled her whole body once before pointing her index finger accusingly as if she was a detective. "Then you guys are terrorists!"

The bassist intuitively smacked the head of her friend, knowing that Ritsu was already crossing the line. "Idiot! Don't just randomly accuse them!"

"You're playing too much games again, Ritsu-senpai," Azusa commented under her breath, quite embarrassed.

One of the escort soldier spoke. "Sir, they are the ones that were rescued in the southern Pacific Ocean, which was requested by Team Bravo."

The man with the scarf struck his forehead with his palm, seemed to be troubled having the girls inside Mother Base since the girls didn't come there to join their military group in the first place. "Oh, god. I hope Big Boss won't mind having four of you here. They will have a lot explaining to do later..."

"Wait...what in the world is MSF?" Ritsu asked, apparently became more interested about the group. "Since we're already here. We don't have much choice but to tag along, right?"

"Militairies Sans Frontieres...Well to put it simply, a military organization that provides military services for those who needs us. That's all you need to know."

"Uh...what?" Azusa asked, perplexed upon hearing the foreign word from the man.

"...Soldiers without Borders, I think," Tsumugi muttered. "Perhaps their ideals says it all just by looking at the name."

"I see...Wait...How did you..."

"I know a bit of French..." She winked. "No funny ideas now."

Mio slightly cringed. "M-Military?"

The blonde man coughed once as she waited for everyone to settle down. "Well, we have a strict policy of prohibiting visitors and tourists in Mother Base. I'm sure our boss would understand that we can't just leave you guys out there. We will prepare your lodging until we get you back safely."

The keyboardist brightened up and bowed accordingly. "Thank you very much...We really appreciate your help."

"Welcome to Outer Heaven." The man said and gave a warm smile. "The name's Kazuhira Miller, Second-in-Command of MSF. Nice to have you girls aboard in our heaven."

Ritsu just shrugged. "Kazuhira, eh? That explains a lot."

Azusa's eyes went wide. "Wow...Kazuhira-san, you're a Japanese?"

"Half of me though. One of the guys in Team Bravo told me that all of you are Japanese as well."

"It's quite hard to tell, especially under those sunglasses," Tsumugi noted.

"Really? Well, just call me Kaz...It's much convenient...," Kaz said, waving off a hand. "Maybe you want to have some grub in the Mess Hall, you guys must be hungry."

* * *

After meeting the deputy commander of the MSF, they're guided by the escorts to the Mother Base's Mess Hall, not far from where they left. They entered the building that was already packed with soldiers. It was also one of the places where they will see the soldiers not wearing their black masks. The mess hall had a lot of tables, able to sustain a large number of people. A banner of the MSF's emblem was proudly displayed above the entrance of the building. Despite of being a military base in the middle of nowhere, the people there appeared to be contented, as if the place was there home to begin with. Their escort soldiers removed their balaclavas, revealing their features. The taller man had a scruffy dark brown hair and bluish eyes. His partner, much to the girl's surprise, was a female with shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes. From her beauty alone, it didn't seem to fit for someone like her to be part of an independent military group.

They guessed that the military group wasn't picky to their new recruits, as long as the will to join was there. Then again, it looked like there was something else besides that.

Upon getting their food which was a bit of a feast for them to take, they sat together with two of their escorts in a long steel table and finally had a decent meal since they got stuck in the yacht.

"Woah...Food here is great...," Ritsu commended as she happily took another bite from her steak. "I don't know what this is though..."

Tsumugi nodded. "I must say, the taste of the food are comparable to five-star restaurants..."

"Epic, huh? We got world-class chefs to join MSF," The man with brown hair concurred, lifting up a fork. "Expect to have different menus everyday."

"Yeah...I'm sure Yui-senpai would be glad if she could live here...," The pigtailed girl said, reaching for her glass of water. "It's like a paradise for the likes of her, isn't it?"

Ritsu got choked from eating a large piece of steak, Mio's eyes widened and Azusa almost dropped the glass she was holding.

"WE FORGOT YUI-SENPAI!" Azusa cried, slamming the table with both hands.

"DAMN! We actually left her their alone!" Ritsu exclaimed.

"What is it now? Something wrong?" The woman calmly asked.

"Uh...Sir, we have a slight problem that we only realized just now...," Tsumugi informed. "One of my friend is still in the yacht as we speak. We might ask another favor from you."

"Sorry, you need Sir Miller's permission first before we could retrieve your friend."

"Then, we shall speak to your commander now. Can you take us to him?"

"Understood. Let's finish our meal first."

The girls and their escort immediately went back to the command center to talk with Kaz, who was busy doing his paperwork in a room. There was a steaming mug of Costa Rican coffee on the table, which reminded the girls about having tea. They sat in the couch while they watched him arrange his things, specifically his paperwork, before he spoke.

"Coffee?" Kaz offered.

"No, thanks...We prefer tea." The blonde keyboardist said.

"Ah, I see. What do you girls want now?" Kaz asked after sipping coffee from his mug. "This is not exactly the best place for your likes, but we will give what we can offer."

"Thank you for the hospitality, Miller-san but we are to ask something more important than everything else."

"Well...A friend of ours is still in the yacht..." Mio said. "We need your assistance to fetch her..."

"What? There's still someone out there?"

"We...kinda forgot that she was still sleeping at the moment we are rescued..." Ritsu added, scratching the back of her head. "Please, she's our friend."

"I see...we will send a chopper this morning to get your friend." The blonde haired man said. "Probably the yacht too, so we could get you out of here as soon as possible."

"What a relief..." Azusa sighed.

Mio was more than happy hearing what she was waiting for. "Finally..."

"You guys really have a knack for trouble, huh?"

"KAZ! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" A loud, deep voice echoed inside the room which surprised Kaz from his seat. "BETTER HAVE A GOOD REASON!"

"Ack...Big Boss..."

The man was wearing a similar uniform as the soldiers do, except the man wasn't wearing a mask, instead a bandanna and an eye patch. He had a bulky appearance, giving him a fearsome impact to him. From the title referred to the man and how Kaz reacted, the girls thought that he might be the most significant person inside Outer Heaven. By looking at his eyes, he was a man who surpassed countless roadblocks and conflicts in his life. He was standing by the door, gaping at the girls who were now baffled in his reaction.

"Uh...I can explain..." Kaz nervously replied.

"What made you bring four young girls inside Mother Base?"

"No...Uh...I was about to offer them to join us."

"Really? I don't think they're the ones who want to be involve with us." The man raised an eyebrow.

After a brief silence, Tsumugi stood from the couch then spoke in a dignified tune. "Sir...We are here to apply to your military group."

"Mugi! What are you saying?" Mio whispered anxiously.

"Now, now...You don't have to cover Kaz for this." The man grinned at Kaz.

"We don't have better things to do on our vacation, so we might try being part of your group."

"Mugi-senpai is out of her mind...," Azusa muttered to herself.

"Easy there, miss...You can't just treat our job like some recreation of sorts. This is not something that people do on a whim."

"He's right, Mugi. Think about our sake too!" Mio pleaded. "Hey Ritsu, say something!"

"Uh...Yeah...Let's stay here for a bit. I wanna taste some more of their chef's specialties," The drummer said with an enthusiastic nod. "I mean, as if we're actually going to participate in their job, right?"

"You sounded like Yui-senpai now!"

"I want to go home!" The delicate bassist of the club was already in the verge of crying. She was definitely not enjoying the turn of events in just a single day. "This isn't supposed to happen! It's all stupid Ritsu's fault!"

"Wha-? Don't put all the blame to me!"

Tsumugi placed a hand on the Mio's shoulder and spoke in a comforting manner. "Don't worry, Mio-chan, everything will be fine. We are the light music club! We are the After School Tea Time! We can conquer any problems as long as we're together!"

The pigtailed girl whispered, "I wish I had that kind of mindset..."

"Quite...impressive. You girls actually wanted to stay for awhile, huh?"

"Yes, if we weren't much of a problem in your operations here," Tsumugi said. "We could learn a thing or two in observing this place as well."

The man wearing the bandanna approached Kaz and lightly tapped the deputy commander's shoulder. "Okay then, my man here, Kaz, is going to be in charge on you girls while you're here inside our Mother Base."

"WHAT?" Kaz exclaimed with eyes widened behind his sunglasses. "Are you telling me that..."

"Bah...You handle them Kaz, just don't let them do anything stupid while they're in the base," The man whispered in a threatening voice and immediately left the room without another word.

The silence in the room was rather short-lived as Kaz's voice shook the whole building.

"But...Big Boss...BBBOOOSSSSSSSSSS!"

The girls looked at each other and shrugged accordingly. "What's with him?"


	3. The Orientation

Discliamer: [Here]

I totally forgot to include this before the others. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

**Musique Sans Frontieres**

* * *

**Uniforms, Training, and Tea Time**

The girls were given a special room in the living quarters in Mother Base. The place was simple and cozy, with the cold ocean breeze blowing through the windows. They woke up before sunrise, stretching their arms upon getting up from their beds and prepared their selves for the orientation to be given by Kaz Miller himself. It was their first official day of being a member of Soldiers without Borders and a chance to learn how things work inside the base. They heard someone knocking at the door's room. Azusa volunteered to open it and revealed a young woman with blonde ponytailed hair and sky blue eyes, carrying the fatigues that MSF soldiers wore. The woman was wearing a bandanna like the man referred as Big Boss.

"Good Morning. I didn't imagine that the new recruits were a bunch of high school girls." The woman said. "I'm Cecile."

"Nice to meet you." The girls bowed down in acknowledgement.

"Hm...I have something for you girls..." Cecile showed the MSF uniform, which seemed to be smaller than average size.

"...Uniforms?" Mio asked. "I think I'm already getting the idea..."

"Reminds me of Sawa-chan." Tsumugi giggled.

"Are we actually going to wear that?" Azusa asked.

"It wouldn't hurt to try...It's better than Sawa-chan's costumes." Ritsu said.

"It was Kaz's idea to make you one." She gave them a smile. "You could blame him later."

The girls wore the uniforms provided by Cecile. Surprisingly, the clothes were a perfect fit for them. After dressing up, They went inside the MSF training center, comprising of the shooting range, an obstacle course and other facilities where Kaz was patiently waiting. He was seated by the table, having his usual coffee mug with him.

"I see that you're already wearing the uniform."

"Hmm...Why don't we have that mask everyone is wearing?" Ritsu asked. "Not that we wanted so..."

"Obviously, I wont be able to recognize you with the mask on. Big Boss left me the responsibility of looking after you guys."

"That's a good point..."

"Miller-san, I was wondering, where exactly are we?" Mio asked.

Kaz fixed his eyeglasses for a bit before he spoke. "To be precise, we're somewhere in the Carribean Sea, West of Central America."

Upon hearing their current location, Mio became pale and the others flinched.

"We...actually travelled almost half of the globe..." She muttered.

"Well, to start off...Where do you guys want to work with?" Kaz asked.

Kaz explained the five main divisions inside MSF. The main combat unit had all of MSF's fighting force, which can be deployed throughout different operations all across the world. The staff from the Mess Hall team provided food for MSF personnels. The R&D team was responsible for developing and enhancing new equipments for the soldiers to use. They also handle the repairs for damaged vehicles in combat. Intel team gives support to the soldiers out in the battlefield by sending supplies, perform a strike support from Mother Base and provide intelligence. The Medical team take cares of the sick and wounded. They were also the ones who create and improve drug-related items such as tranquilizers.

The girls were in deep thought for a moment, giving themselves time to assess their own abilities to have better use for MSF. Although they lack the real-life experience, it may be a new opportunity to learn something new.

"I don't think there's a way enlisting ourselves in the combat unit." Mio stated.

"Hm...I might go for the Mess Hall team..." Tsumugi said.

"That's typical of you Mugi-senpai..." Azusa said.

"On the second thought...I will try joining their combat unit."

"What the hell...you want to get yourself killed, huh?" Ritsu sounded like she was about to give Tsumugi a good whack.

"How about we join together in their fighting force? It's more exciting than any other jobs to do here." Tsumugi suggested.

"NO! I don't want to die...not yet..." Mio cried, clearly not in favor of the suggested idea. "Why do we have to be too much involved to them?"

"Don't worry...I'll cover everyone's health and life insurance, in case something happened."

"Now...I'm really worried about you, Mugi-senpai." Azusa spoke to herself.

"Did I say something wrong?"

Their conversation was broken when they heard a familiar voice calling out from the distance. The girl was wearing MSF uniform.

"YAAAHHHOOO!" The girl happily shouted, waving her hands vigorously in the air.

"YUI!"

They went to meet up their friend and gave her a heartwarming hug.

"Aw...Did you missed me, Azu-nyan?" Yui said. "You never cuddled me this tight before..."

Azusa's face got bright red and broke free from the hug. "I'm just happy to see you."

"Why are you wearing that uniform already?"

"Miller-san told me that you guys are going to join...so, I took the offer too..."

"Let me guess...you have given thought of it AFTER you've eaten in their Mess Hall." Ritsu predicted.

"Well...have you guys given thought about where should I place you?" Kaz asked.

"I think...as long as we're together, we will be fine. It's up to you, Miller-san." Mio proposed.

"Hmm...sensible answer. I think I could observe you guys for awhile to see where you're best at." Kaz said. "Feel free to help out the staff anytime...just...don't do anything that would upset Big Boss. I'm begging you..."

"Yes, sir...we will try to comply." Tsumugi said.

"I hear ya...Now...where do we start?" Ritsu's voice was filled with motivation.

The training session started with the familiarization of movement, stances and essential equipments that soldiers never forget to bring with. These concepts were essential for them to use in the future, which Kaz never wished to happened.

"Since it will take time teaching CQC, I will just demonstrate the usage of the stun rod for now."

"Stun...rod?" Ritsu asked curiously.

"A non-lethal weapon capable of knocking out your target with high voltage from it..."

"I'm...tired...Mugi-chan, let's have some tea for a bit." Yui interrupted with her gloomy look, seemed to be deprived from food for a few days

"Huh? We haven't lasted for half an hour yet."

"Miller-san, do you have tea in here?" Tsumugi was searching the containers on the counter.

"Only coffee and mate...I think the guys in the mess hall have them...Only few drink those here."

"Uh...this would do fine..."

"Even Miller-san will be affected by our laziness..." Azusa mumbled. "Sooner or later...all of MSF...then the whole..."

"Azusa-chan...Don't worry, your assumption will never happen." Tsumugi whispered to her ear then smiled at her as if nothing was mentioned.

"Mugi-senpai...you're starting to scare me..."

* * *

**Codenames**

It was a raining cats and dogs tonight in Mother Base. After their training with Kaz, the girls were gathered around the center table in their room, still thinking of what Kaz said to them about having codenames during operations. Since almost all soldiers inside the base used animal names as their codenames, they considered making their own as well.

"Hmm...this is hard." Ritsu said.

"I can't think up of something..." Azusa said, probably running out of steam already.

"It should sound cool and striking, matching ourselves." Ritsu advised.

"Azu-nyan, why do you have to worry about yours?" Yui asked.

"Well...If she would be a cat...maybe a tigress?." Mio said.

"A lioness?" Ritsu suggested.

"A saber-tooth!" Tsumugi declared in a high pitch.

Everyone paused for a bit, trying to process what Tsumugi had said.

"Mugi-senpai...from all of the felines ever existed on Earth, why would you relate me to a sabre- toothed cat?" Azusa asked. "Those were extinct a long time ago..."

"Isn't that great? Formidable yet elegant codename!"

"I will...think about it."


	4. The Ghost of MSF's Mess Hall

Disclaimer: [Here]

Just another random idea I came up...

* * *

**Musique Sans Frontieres**

* * *

Rumors began to spread inside Outer Heaven. A ghost, specter or whatever they call it, was said to be haunting the mess hall of Mother Base. One soldier on patrol was able to tell the tale about this spirit. It was particularly stormy before midnight when he heard heavy footsteps inside the building, which was supposed to be empty by that time. He was sure that no one was there and decided to have a good look.

He entered with his flashlight at hand to scan the surroundings. His eyes processed that the it was empty but he can still hear the footsteps, although a bit fainter than before, as if walking away from him. His intuition told him to follow the sound, which lead him to the large cooler, where most of the frozen foods and the like are kept. He was already shivering from being drenched in rain and the cold escaping from the cooler. He only then realized that the cooler was left open.

Before he could get near, lightning flashed through the windows, dimly illuminating the surroundings for a second. The events was fast. He found himself running towards the exit and never looked back. The figure was unclear, but it was certainly something out of this world. The next day, a staff from the mess hall reported missing items from the food storages, particularly the sweet stuff, which they assumed that the spirit was fond of sweet food.

Regarding why did the ghost chose to haunt a place that was rich in food was a mystery for all, not to mention that MSF Mother Base did keep pastries, cakes, ice creams and the like. Who doesn't like to have dessert after a nice meal?

Since the rumored spirit wasn't more of a threat, no one bothered to investigate the case, except for the young blonde haired mistress and her colleagues. Their unwavering curiosity about this mysterious phenomenon and fascinating behavior of the ghost made them push onwards and hopefully unveil the truth to everyone. Yui volunteered to accompany Mio in their room who was too frightened to join them.

"Mugi-senpai, maybe that rumor was just made up...We shouldn't get too much involve..." Azusa advised.

"Hm...Maybe it's a spy onboard Mother Base..." Tsumugi guessed, seemed that she didn't heard what the pigtailed girl said.

"What made you think that spies would bother infiltrate the base just to steal food?" Ritsu reasonably stated. "That's just plain stupid if you ask me."

"Let's go, we can't solve this mystery if we are just standing here." Tsumugi said, already filled with excitement.

"She is really pysched up when it comes to this kind of matter..." Azusa whispered to Ritsu.

"Uh...Let's not try to overdo it, okay? We might end up being tossed in the sea sooner." The club president warned.

"Hush...There is no need to worry." Tsumugi said with a smile.

The girls managed to slipped inside the building without being noticed. Tsumugi was happily humming the tune of Fuwa Fuwa Time while the two were anxiously watching the area for the patrol to avoid being caught in their 'off-the-record operation'. Then, they patiently waited until midnight inside the building with their needed equipments on hand to detect the ghost's presence.

"That's strange...nothing's happening..." Tsumugi said, her eyes fixed at the screen of the surround indicator, a sensor that visualizes sounds. She learned from someone that the device can also detect noise-related phantasm which she considered to bring in this hunt. She also had a camera for solid evidence about this case.

"Mugi-senpai, let's call it a day...I'm tired..." Azusa complained while scanning the area with her night vision goggles equipped. "A couple of hours already passed and still no ghost..."

"I think we won't get to see the ghost anyways..." Ritsu said, stretching her arms in boredom.

"Why so?" Tsumugi asked curiously.

"BECAUSE THERE IS NO SUCH THING!" She exclaimed at the top of her lungs.

The door of the building suddenly opened which surprised the three inside.

"WHO GOES THERE!" A soldier on patrol shouted, probably heared Ritsu's voice.

"Oh, crap, now what?"

"Hide, of course!" Tsumugi said.

They panickly hid under one of the steel tables before they get caught.

"I'm pretty sure I heard something..." The soldier muttered. "Oh, damn...maybe its the ghost lurking around here..."

The patrol went further inside the hall to investigate with a flashlight, passing by the table of the girls.

"Hehehe, our stealth training proved useful at times like this..." Ritsu whispered. "Know your environment and use it to your advantage..."

"Shut it, Ritsu-senpai...we might get discovered." Azusa replied softly. "Where's Mugi-senpai?"

The two looked around to find their missing friend, only to find her sneaking behind the unwary soldier. She restrained the soldier from the back, threateningly pointing the end of her stun rod at his neck. A nifty technique they learned from the CQC training of Kaz Miller.

"Ugh, Who the hell are you?" The soldier asked nervously, struggling from the arms of Tsumugi.

"Don't pretend you don't know anything!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Who would come here in an hour like this? You are the ghost everyone's talking about!" Tsumugi asserted.

Ritsu struck her forehead with the palm of her hand while Azusa was astonished, accidentally collided her head with the table upon witnessing the confrontation.

"I'm not the ghost! Believe me!" The soldier said.

The blonde haired girl was not satisfied with the answer and began to squeeze the throat of the soldier. Ritsu and Azusa crawled out from their hiding place to stop the rash actions of their friend.

"Mugi...you've gone overboard. Stop it!" Ritsu demanded.

Upon hearing Ritsu's voice, she finally got her senses back and released the soldier from her arms. "Oh...I'm terribly sorry...What happened?"

"He...passed out." Azusa muttered. "Poor guy..."

"Oh, I am very grateful that you didn't killed him...and not to get ourselves kicked out of MSF." Ritsu sighed.

"Anyways...we got to continue our quest." Tsumugi declared as if nothing happened earlier. She checked her trusty sensor. Her face suddenly got serious on the surround indicator's readings. Ritsu and Azusa quickly got the slightest idea of what it meant.

"Shh...Someone's here..." She whispered. "It's only faint but it looks like it's heading towards here."

"...Don't tell me its coming after us." Ritsu said.

They hid again under the nearest table until a shadow came out from the corridor in their right. The figure was walking hastily towards the exit; they waited for it to pass before springing into action.

"FREEZE!" Tsumugi shouted with her Mk22 handgun pointed at the said ghost. It didn't react for some seconds before finally resorting to a quick escape. Tsumugi fired a few rounds at the target.

"Mugi-senpai? GUNS WON'T WORK ON PHANTASM!" Azusa shouted.

"Eh? Really?"

The person seemed to get wobbly then dropped with its face parallel to the ground.

"Nevermind, it's not a ghost after all."

They went nearer to the person who was carrying a bag full of the sweets from the food storage and wearing a sneaking suit of MSF. Their faces showed complete disbelief and shock when they finally identified the person lying on the cold floor.

"YUI? YYUUIIIIIIIIIII!" Tsumugi cried, regretting on what she did.

"Relax...she's just dozing." Ritsu informed.

"I can't believe it...why would Yui-senpai...do this?" Azusa stammered. "What are we doing here again?"

"Let's get out of here first."

The following day, the girls went in the command center to discuss something with MSF's deputy commander. Kaz was relaxing on the couch when they entered his workroom.

"What now?"

"I think you got a lot of explaining to do..." Ritsu jested. "We found out that you're the one sending Yui in the mess hall for your midnight snack."

"I'm quite disappointed that we didn't found any ghost..." Tsumugi said.

"Mugi, please don't hope for those things..." Mio said anxiously.

"Miller-san told me that it was part of the training and I would get half of the sweets that I will procure." Yui said cheerfuly. "I still have some left at our room, we could eat them later."

"Yui-senpai, you're using our training in the wrong way..." Azusa said.

"Uh...this is a big misunderstanding...you see..."

The conversation was interrupted when a soldier entered the room.

"Sir, Big Boss wanted to talk with you..." The soldier reported.

"Ack...No fair, you already talked with him earlier?"

"Well...we wanted to make sure." Ritsu winked at him.

"I hope I can survive afterwards..."


	5. The Cardboard Box Contest

Disclaimer: [Here]

Another random story inspired by the heavenly cardboard box :D

* * *

**Musique Sans Frontieres**

* * *

A contest inside Mother Base was planned by Big Boss himself. He was a cardboard enthusiast himself. He loved them and its boundless uses. The Research and Development team already invented several unique variations of the standard cardboard box which increased its capabilities besides of being used as a camouflage. Snake also wanted the opinion all of the people about them and might even contribute ideas to its improvement. Being recognized by the legendary soldier himself was surely an honor to be gladly accepted to aspiring soldiers.

"We got to join this contest!" Ritsu showed a flyer which she removed somewhere regarding the contest.

The contest will be held in three days. The first two days will be spent on the preparations and the final one will be the day of presenting the finish product. The MSF's R&D Team gladly volunteered to help, and even provide the equipments that participants needed.

"Well...it wouldn't hurt to try..." Tsumugi said, taking interest of Ritsu's proposition.

"Ritsu-senpai, why all of the sudden?" Azusa asked, tilting her head slightly in the enthusiasm of Ritsu.

"There's a cash prize plus a special treatment inside Mother Base for a week!" Ritsu said with excitement.

"Special treatment?" Mio asked. "Wait...why cardboard boxes in the first place?"

"Since we got plenty of time...we could pay a visit in the R&D lab." Ritsu suggested, ignoring the question of Mio. "I already talked with Huey-san to help us."

"This is way too sudden..." Azusa said to herself.

They went in the R&D Lab to get some equipments and tools that they can use in their cardboard invention. A man seated in a special wheelchair greeted the girls upon entering the facility.

"It's Huey-san..." Tsumugi noticed.

"Afternoon...I heard that you girls will join the contest." Huey greeted them with a smile.

"Yeah...pretty much. We needed some background about this stuff..." Ritsu replied.

He showed them different cardboard boxes made by the R&D team. The tank box was the first one which easily caught their eyes. It was typically a cardboard box modeled on a standard tank and can hold two people inside it. One in the front 'drives' and the other serves as the gunner. Sometimes it also had a stun cannon and other boxes of this kind can launch smoke shells, similar of the smoke grenade. Some other boxes were basically traps. It triggers when someone will attempt to check its contents or destroy the box itself. The girls were quite amazed that a simple cardboard box can be useful in some other ways, especially in stealth.

"Seriously? A tank made up of a FREAKING BOX?" Ritsu exclaimed, somehow find it absurd how can a cardboard box do in actual combat. Using a box as a shelter from enemy fire is definitely not an option.

"Well, it's more on the camouflage side, combat is always the last resort." Huey explained. "It's a first of its kind anyways."

"I bet the person who invented this box tank thingy must be pretty bored that time..." Azusa guessed while looking at the bizarre box.

"Uhh...I agree." Mio concurred.

Ritsu chuckled before giving a smirk to the others. "We should create something way better than they already made!"

"Here we go again..." Mio sighed, knowing that once there will be something that interest Ritsu, it would be a burden for her as well.

"You got to consider some factors to begin with first." Huey advised. "In missions, the box must be light and portable. Basically, one won't bring something that would slow them down in midst of their operations. Also, it must be a good camouflage to be used when hiding from enemy's sight."

"Thank you Huey-san for the info." Mio said.

"I thought this is gonna be a cakewalk for a minute there..." Ritsu said. "It's harder than I thought."

"That's a thing to see...I'll be interested on what will you make for us."

Yui's eyes were fixed on another box, which looked like an ambulance. "Oh...that one's called the rescue box." Huey said. "While inside it, you could easily recover from your wounds."

"Hey, Azu-nyan...Maybe we could make something that similar of a vending machine, right?

"What do you mean by that?" Azusa asked, puzzled by Yui's idea.

"A dispenser of snacks! You get hungry while in an operation too."

"Yui-senpai, I wonder what is going on inside your brain..." Azusa muttered.

After the evening meal at the Mess Hall, Ritsu and the others decided to return in their room and start off by gathering ideas. They gathered around with a cardboard box in the center, thinking how the box will function and would benefit soldiers during operation. Silence filled the room for a minute before someone finally spoke.

"Why are we doing this again?" Mio asked who was beginning to lose interest.

"FOR MONEY, FOR THE SPECIAL TREATMENT." Ritsu emphasized.

"Gold-digger..." Mio whispered.

"Ricchan, I think we should take it easy, let's have a snack first." Yui offered.

"NO SLACKING OFF! We gotta win this one." Ritsu firmly declared. "You do want unlimited dessert in the mess hall, right?"

Yui imagined all of the dessert that she can get from every meal. Although the food served in the mess hall was first class in taste, it was still limited per person.

"Uhm, Yui-senpai..." Azusa said in a hesitant tone.

"Yes, Azu-nyan?" Yui asked.

"Please...don't drool on our cardboard box..."

"Oh, Sorry."

"We don't care about the cash prize or the special treatment." Mio said.

"So, you won't help then?" Ritsu asked with an expectant look in her face.

"Fine. You might get yourself in some serious mess."

* * *

Later that night in the R&D Lab.

Tsumugi approached a woman in a lab coat engrossed working in a computer. She had snow-colored hair and wearing tinted glasses. She raised a questioning eyebrow to the blonde girl.

"Do you need something?" The woman asked.

"Oh...nothing much. We just needed a little help from you and some of your colleagues."

* * *

The day of the presentation finally arrived after two days of preparation, which was held in the deck of Mother Base. Even though there was nothing at stake on their part, tension was still evident in the atmosphere. Snake, Kaz and some representatives from the R&D Team will be the ones assessing the entries.

There were improved versions of the original boxes made by the R&D Team. The tank box was reinforced with steel plating armour for heavy combat but still lightweight and portable. It was also equipped with night vision. The rescue box was given a boost in specs as well. The healing capabilities of the box were increased, complete with first-aid items inside. A new box, called Fulton box was introduced. Similar to the Fulton mine, it can produce a sleeping gas and can automatically executes Fulton recovery, except that it can function on its own and reusable at the same time. Its appearance was similar of a giftwrap which will surely draw everyone's attention. Although the outer design was ridiculous, it was pretty much useful when looking for new recruits out in the field.

There was also a box capable of movement using threads, like a tank. It was called a scout box with a video camera installed for surveillance and scouting in enemy territory. The box was covered with realistic leaves making it look like a moving shrub.

"Kaz, I really liked what I'm seeing so far." Snake said with increasing excitement in the contest. "All of them are creative."

"Y-Yeah..." Kaz half-heartedly replied. He was not that interested in cardboard boxes anyways. "But, I'm thinking that some did take it seriously."

Huey had something to show as well, although he was not a participant. This sudden appearance made everyone interested. He removed the cloth that covering his work.

"Eh? Specifically, what can your box do Huey?" Snake curiously asked to the scientist.

"This..." He said, showing some sort of remote control and pressed a button on it. "It's still a prototype though."

"WHAT ON EARTH...A BIPEDAL WALKING CARDBOARD BOX?" Snake exclaimed in with a mix of amazement and bewilderment. The audience were dumbfounded, as if their souls have been taken out from their bodies.

"Oh my god..." Kaz mumbled. "I must wash my eyes after this."

It was finally the turn of Ritsu and the others to show their entry. They went on the platform with a peculiar box carried by Tsumugi and Ritsu. Upon seeing the outer appearance of the box, some of the audience were already laughing. Apparently, their box could hold four persons inside, making it larger than the usual size.

"A...cake?" Kaz rubbed his eyes and wiped his sunglasses. The box was still there.

"Now, this is the most unique box I've ever seen in my whole life!" Snake commended, seemed to find it impressive than a ridiculous one.

"Wait a second there! Breathe slowly, then look at it. Big Boss...it's..."

"...An exquisite cardboard box invention! Now let's hear what this box could do." Snake added.

"What did I do wrong to deserve this?" Kaz whispered to himself.

One of the R&D researcher stood up and to clarify some points. "If a box as large as that would be used as a hiding place, it would be too obvious for anyone. Not to mention the chosen design as well."

"I was expecting that..." Ritsu raised a remote control for the box. "BEHOLD!"

The adorned candle at the top of the 'cake box' released a camouflage net, quite parallel with the Ghillie suits worn by soldiers, which entirely covered outside the box. It perfectly blends in thick shrubs and plants in the jungle or in the dark.

"Guaranteed, 99% Camouflage Index!" Ritsu proudly informed. "BEAT THAT!"

"That was my idea..." Mio mumbled.

It was Kaz turn to ask questions. "That's a pretty neat stealth mechanism, but isn't it too big or heavy to be carried around?"

"No worries, my box..."

"OUR box." Azusa firmly reminded.

"Sorry...Our box is really portable despite its size." She pressed another button on the remote control. The cake box began to fold itself until it became layers of cardboard material and light metallic plating. Everyone was impressed on this unique feature.

They deployed the box again to show the main function of their invention. Ritsu pressed another button to open the front face of the box, showing its interiors. There were two dispensers inside the box. It appeared that the one of them contains solid food, mostly snacks while the other had tea. The whole box was also waterproof and very durable.

"I don't even...I don't get it..." Kaz stammered. "High school girls can't possibly..."

"HAHA! I was never wrong to assign you to those girls, Kaz. You did well."

"Boss, listen to me first!"

"Azu-nyan, I don't remember including a screen in our box." Yui whispered.

"Huh? What screen?"

The two saw a seven-inch screen parallel to the food dispenser. Both of them were stunned and exchanged confused looks.

"Mugi? What is this all about?" Ritsu squealed as softly as she could.

"The multipurpose screen inside the box displays information such as climate, temperature, time and the like. There's also a high definition surveillance camera installed outside the box for a better inspection of the surroundings. It can also receive transmission from Mother Base with a set frequency." Tsumugi explained the unexpected features of the box, avoiding the question of the hairband-wearing brunette.

"How did Mugi...put all of this in just...a short time?" Mio stammered.

"We also came up with the idea of not just having a combination stealth and comfort in our box."

Tsumugi explained. Her friends gave her a puzzled look when she suddenly spoke. Not long before, a humanoid voice of a girl spoke out of the blue.

"SYSTEM ONLINE, ALL FUNCTIONS OPERATIONAL." The voice declared. "DO YOU LIKE TO HAVE SOME TEA AND PASTRIES?"

Everyone's jaw practically hit the ground hearing the box talk. Snake was frozen from his seat with eyes widened the same as the afternoon sun while Kaz was about to have a cardiac arrest. Even some people from the R&D Team already walked out of the scene. Tsumugi just giggled while her friends were astonished. They were pretty sure that installing AI on the box was out of their plan. Although the AI was not that developed compared to others and can only respond and act on given situations, it was enough to win the contest with using such an advance feature which clearly only one person on board Mother Base could possibly do.

"Mugi-senpai...Let me guess..." Azusa said with a bit of confidence. "Dr. Strangelove made a couple of adjustments and upgrades, right?"

"Oh, Did I mention that our box has a cloaking device?"


	6. Let's train with ZEKE!

Usual Disclaimer: [Here]

* * *

**Musique Sans Frontieres**

* * *

Another day inside Mother Base. After some early target practice in the shooting range and having breakfast in the mess hall, the girls went up on the living quarter's deck to catch some morning ocean breeze which helped them relax. Things were going in favor for them since they joined in MSF. Soldiers along with other prominent persons inside Mother Base welcomed them warmly and they were friendly as well. Food was first class. Accommodation was pretty nice too. Having their vacation in an offshore plant was not so bad after all.

"Hey...I could use to live in this place," Ritsu said after stretching her arms like after taking an afternoon nap.

"Ritsu-senpai and her crazy ideas," Azusa mumbled while staring at the horizon.

"Well, we have to return before vacation ends anyways," Mio reminded.

The serene mood was suddenly ceased when they heard someone shouting. They turned their backs to find out who was causing the uproar.

"OH, EVERYONE! LOOKIE, LOOKIE!"

"Is that Yui?" The bassist asked. "She was here awhile ago, right?"

"LOOK! I FOUND A CAT!" Their ever-carefree guitarist showed the small felyne to everyone.

Azusa replied as she gave off a sigh, "You don't have to shout, Yui-senpai!"

From a closer inspection, the cat was wearing a silver collar with its name inscribed on it.

"Nuke...pretty nice name," Tsumugi said while stroking the cat's head lightly.

Ritsu took a few steps back and dramatically asked, "Nuke? Like a nuclear warhead that can obliterate a whole country? Weapons of mass destruction that brings constant threat and conflict to humanity?"

A fist landed on Ritsu's head, a clear signal that she had said something stupid or nonsense.

"So, they actually have a pet cat here," Azusa said, wondering what else could be inside the offshore plant.

Yui giggled as she casted a teasing look to the younger guitarist. "Azu-nyan will have a new playmate."

Azusa's cheeks flushed as she looked away. "Yui-senpai, Why do you always treat me like a cat?"

A familiar voice spoke behind them. "Oh...there you are! I've been looking for you!"

"Chico? What's up?" Ritsu asked, quite intrigued for the boy's sudden appearance.

"I was about to give Nuke his breakfast and," The boy replied.

Tsumugi handed the cat to Chico. "Sorry...We didn't knew about that..."

"And another thing...Mr. Miller wanted to talk with you guys..."

"What now? It's better be important!"

After hearing the message, they immediately went to the command center to meet Kaz. They wondered what request the deputy commander that only them could accomplish.

"Everyone already here?"

"What's the problem, Miller-san?" Azusa asked.

"You see, we held battle simulation with ZEKE once in a while to enhance its AI in combat," Kaz explained. "I just need a little favor..."

"Zeke? Is that a dog?" Yui curiously asked.

"No, we don't have a dog onboard Mother Base," Kaz replied. "Ah...you haven't seen it, right? ZEKE is in the hangar."

They went to the ZEKE's hangar. Yui and the others were amazed to see a massive bipedal walking tank controlled by an AI. Apparently, it was loaded with a nuclear warhead originally from another weapon systems of the same kind which could be considered as a cousin of ZEKE. It was made from different parts of the AI weapons after Big Boss and his comrades successfully took them down during the Peace Walker incident. ZEKE's AI was also assembled using the memory boards taken from Huey's AI weapons with the help of Dr. Strangelove.

Basically, the bipedal weapon standing before them was originally made from scraps of those weapons systems.

"So...this is ZEKE, huh?" The drummer asked as she stared at the gigantic bipedal weapon of peace and destruction. "So, recycling also has its benefits, huh?"

Kaz nodded as he pretended that he didn't hear about the 'recycling' part. "Yes...our deterrent. A pillar that keeps potential threats at bay."

"It surely does like it." Ritsu held a finger. "By the way, can we test it out?"

"Absolutely, NO." Kaz firmly said as he leaned closer to Ritsu. "Please, I like the way the world is now."

"I get it! No need to stare at me like that!"

Kaz gave them a rundown about ZEKE's main parts and armaments before engaging in the simulation. ZEKE was equipped with a powerful railgun and a radome scavenged from the Chrysalis, missile hatches that can launch numerous amounts of deadly warheads, and machine guns. Its gigantic size was also to be considered if they wouldn't end up being a pancake. This time, the simulation will be done with multiple enemies which will be them. Despite of its size, ZEKE could move around the battlefield easily with the help of its jetpacks originally from the Pupa AI weapon. After the lecture, Kaz left the girls and went to the deck's control tower to continue their preparations.

The pigtailed guitarist couldn't help to wonder about the whole simulation thing. One question would be the area where they would do the simulation. Although Mother Base was large enough for a walking steel behemoth armed with an array of devastating arsenal to unleash havoc to them, why would they held it here in the first place? She guessed that they didn't seem to mind collateral damage in any way.

"Don't tell me that we will be used as practice dummies!" Ritsu protested.

"Not really, you'll fight the usual way, there will be no harm done to ZEKE anyway since it's just a simulation."

"H-How about us?" Mio asked anxiously.

The blonde man just shrugged, not entirely concerned. "Well, It's up to ZEKE."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You'll see. ZEKE has an AI after all."

The R&D Team deployed ZEKE on the deck and made some final adjustments before turning the AI online. They gathered up on the deck, staring helplessly on ZEKE in front of them. They never had a slightest idea of how a giant walking tank could do in combat or they never thought that Kaz would actually choose them for a simulation. As an incentive for this tiresome request, they were given a wide selection of weapons on a table placed at the corner, allowing them to switch weapons during the practice. Although the girls were not gun enthusiast themselves, it was quite an achievement to be able to hold different kinds of weapons that others can't. They were also advised by some soldiers to bring armor-piercing guns or rocket launchers to effectively damage ZEKE.

"Are they stupid? How can we beat a machine like that?" Ritsu exclaimed as she stared once more at the tank towering before them. "Also, it's weird they don't call this a robot or something!"

"This is exciting! We can finally apply our training," Tsumugi said with enthusiasm, carefully caressing her portable recoilless rifle as if it was a child of her own. Her friends could only dumbly stare at her.

"Mugi-senpai seemed to enjoy this," whispered Azusa.

"ZEKE will always declare what will it do next, so you will have an advantage," Kaz reminded using the radio. "Either way, don't get careless."

"Easier said than done," Azusa replied while loading a fresh magazine, specifically with armor piercing rounds in her M63A1 machine gun.

"Miller-san, I don't want to do this..." Mio was already trembling in fear.

"Just remember the training." A loud beep from an alarm echoed throughout the simulation area, where anti-air and anti-ship missile launchers located. "Oh...it's about to start. Get ready," Kaz informed.

"COMMENCING BATTLE SIMULATION," The AI announced. ZEKE aimed it's machine guns to the girls which made them scream in panic.

"THE MOMENT WE BEAT THE HELL OUT OF THIS JUNK, YOU'RE GOING DOWN WITH IT, KAZ!" Ritsu yelled at the radio. "YOU BETTER GET READY FOR THAT!"

Kaz let out a small chuckle. "Well, don't get squashed by ZEKE first."

The girls managed to dodge the first barrage of bullets from the bipedal weapon. They found refuge behind the hatches opened on deck for them and planned for a coordinated attack that would completely shutdown the tank's AI. Mio was already petrified in fear while ZEKE continued to shower deadly projectiles at them.

"Damn, we're sitting ducks here." Ritsu pointed out the obvious.

"What now?" Azusa asked with her voice barely competing with the consecutive gunshots. "We should go for an offensive!"

"I agree. Perhaps we need a decoy to get a clear shot on its AI pod," Tsumugi calmly suggested. "But I think..."

Before the keyboardist could finish, Ritsu placed a hand on Yui's shoulder and said, "Yui, you'll be our decoy..."

"What's a decoy, Ricchan?"

"Just get out there and steal its attention to you."

"Okay, sounds easy, captain!" Yui agreed without any doubt or complaint, saluting to her friend. The carefree guitarist dashed off behind ZEKE.

"ZEKE! LOOKIE! I'M HERE!" The guitarist waved her hands up high to attract ZEKE's attention.

The bipedal tank just ignored her, still busy firing its machine guns.

"YOU STUPID WALKING TANK!" Yui squealed, firing several rounds from her M1911A1 pistol. "I'M HERE!"

This time, the giant bipedal tank slowly turned to her as the platform shook in every colossal step.

"Yay! It worked!" Yui jumped happily, much to her heart's content. "Ricchan! What should I do next?"

Ritsu slapped herself for choosing Yui as the decoy. She didn't know if that was it a bad idea to begin with.

"Yui-senpai! You'll get yourself killed!" Azusa cried.

"EAT THIS!" Ritsu shouted as she pressed the trigger of her RPG-7, taking the golden opportunity.

The rocket made a direct hit to its head, causing bits of metal scatter around the place. Their victory only lived in a few seconds as it leaped away to the far end of another plant's deck, preparing for another attack.

"CHARGING RAILGUN," ZEKE pronounced.

They suddenly heard the voice of their subcommander. "Whatever happens, don't get hit with its railgun!"

"Yeah, right! Keep saying that to yourself!" replied Ritsu.

They again took cover behind the hatches before ZEKE released a powerful blast using electromagnetic force that can surely end up in their demise. After the attack, Ritsu fired her RPG-7 then Tsumugi followed with her Carl Gustav's high explosive round. This also gave time for Yui to return back to her comrades.

The walking tank staggered due to the blasts but managed to leaped back behind them and sprayed bullets to the girls with its machine guns. They promptly circled ZEKE to avoid the incoming projectiles while Azusa responded using her M63A1, emptying it as soon as she could before loading a fresh one. Mio, with all of the running to dodge the bullets, unexpectedly went a bit close to ZEKE. What they feared was about to happen...

"STOMP ATTACK," The bipedal tank's AI droned, raising its massive foot to crush Mio.

"Mio, get the hell out of there!" Ritsu cried. Yui only gasped as she placed a hand on her mouth, not knowing what to do. Azusa almost did the same except after reloading her weapon.

The following events happened fast. ZEKE, with all his might, stomped where Mio was supposed to be standing. The others let out a sigh of relief when their bassist was still intact, thanks to the keyboardist's quick response. Luckily, both of them crashed on the steel pavement unharmed. Without wasting the opportunity, the rest fired everything they got which distinctively decorated ZEKE with bullet holes and blast marks. The bipedal tank countered by sliding towards Ritsu and the others with its boosters. In desperation, they dived out of the way, nearly swept by its's huge legs.

"This simulation thing is taking too long, Miller-san!" Yui complained.

"Yui, shut up. We will settle terms with him later," Ritsu said in an annoying manner then turned to the guitarist. "Wait...do you have something useful we can use?"

"Of course, you don't have to tell me that." Yui showed her an MK22, an M1911A1, a pack of tortilla chips and a delicious, ripe banana. The last two was understandable, given Yui herself, but the first two didn't seem to make any sense at all. Ritsu slapped her forehead once again.

"Are you an idiot or what? You can't even scratch ZEKE with those! Banana is not even a weapon!"

"B-But, how come a banana's included in the handgun list?" Yui protested.

"What? What list?"

"CHANGING BATTLE POSITION," The AI announced once again.

Before Ritsu could continue her outburst, ZEKE again went to a good distance and began charging its railgun. With five targets to choose from, the bipedal tank's AI began to select a suitable victim from the distance.

"RAILGUN FULLY CHARGED."

After a few more seconds of calculations, ZEKE released a much stronger blast compared to the first attempt and was precisely aimed at Tsumugi. She nearly got nailed by the railgun's projectile but her long, wavy hair was not so lucky. There was a trail of smoke from the end of her hair which she never had the courage to check.

"My...hair," Tsumugi muttered, her hair hanging down her face, effectively concealing her features.

"Mugi...are you okay?" Mio asked worriedly.

"ZEKE...ruined my hair..."

"Uh...Mugi?"

It took her a few years of profound care to be able to flourish and grow such elegant, blonde hair and all ended in a simulation for the improvement of the bipedal tank's AI. Tears slowly began to form in her eyes, filling herself with unimaginable rage that was about to be witnessed by unfortunate eyes in that event. The ocean breeze began to shift mysteriously as she stood up. The others gulped down in the tenseness.

More importantly, the bipedal tank seemed to realized what just happened as it was not moving like a towering giant.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT ZEKE!" Tsumugi cried in a fierce tone. "THIS IS PERSONAL!"

"Oh no, she snapped," Mio said, taking a few steps back from the keyboardist. Much to her surprise, Tsumugi turned around to face her, wearing her ever-present smile like she was just to offer sweets and tea back in the club room.

"Mio-chan, can I have two of your LAWs?"

Mio stared blankly with her mouth slightly open, but managed to response, "Uh, sure..."

"Thank you very much!"

Tsumugi whirled around with her once elegant blonde hair following her actions, and fired another HE round from her Carl Gustav, which made direct contact with the target's radome. Since the rifle was recoil-free, it allowed the keyboardist to execute her next move.

ZEKE leaped in front of the two for its next attack but the blonde girl was already holding two M72 LAW rocket launchers she got from Mio. She rolled recklessly between ZEKE's legs and fired at the boosters attached behind it without any effort. The explosions temporarily paralyzed ZEKE from its place. Mio ran towards Ritsu and others to avoid being caught in the outrage.

"HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT?" Tsumugi shouted.

She was not yet satisfied even though ZEKE was already severely damaged. With a single leap, she was now standing in front of the weapon stash provided to them. Tsumugi wore a devilish smile as she scanned the weapons as if selecting the best torture device out of it. She grabbed a M134 gatling gun and strapped a railgun on her back the she got from the table and gave off a menacing smile. The weight was unbelievably beyond her limit and she acted as if possessed by a powerful entity within her.

"I'LL SEND YOU STRAIGHT INTO THE SCRAPYARD!"

The M134's barrels spun and began to sprinkle the bipedal tank with bullets. Using a powerful gun like that seemed to be a simple chore for her, powerful recoil was not affecting her anymore. Ritsu and Yui sat down to watch the action while eating tortilla chips. Kaz was dumbstruck seeing their deterrent punished by a high school girl.

"Ritsu? Yui? What are you guys doing?" Mio furiously asked.

Yui tapped the unoccupied floor beside her while munching some tortilla chips. "Oh, Mio-chan. Have a sit..."

"Aren't we going to stop Mugi-senpai?" Azusa asked who seemed to be another concerned soul in the group.

"Are you kidding? This is a rare scene you don't wanna miss!" Ritsu excitingly stated with her index finger raised. "Oh, shoot! Where's a camera if you need one!"

"Azu-nyan, if you want, you can have this banana," Yui offered with a smile.

"No, thanks."

Realizing that the seemingly 'portable' machine gun already ran out of ammo, she threw it away like a candy wrapper behind her and grabbed her railgun, resting the fancy weapon on her shoulders.

"Time to finish this off!" Tsumugi declared, aiming her customized railgun at ZEKE. The tip of the weapon emitted a faint blue glow.

"Is that a...railgun?" Kaz mumbled to himself then quickly stood up in the realization. "Wait...IT IS A RAILGUN!"

Tsumugi pulled the trigger of her railgun that seemed to be fully charged before hand and the strong recoil send her back flying. Before they could lay their eyes on ZEKE, it was already out of commission. There was a noticeable hole in its head where the railgun's projectile passed through easily. The blonde haired girl finally recovered to her gentle self. Kaz on the other hand, was muttering about repair bills on ZEKE.

On a side note, the R&D successfully upgraded the railgun so that it wouldn't be much dependent on charging the weapon for achieving maximum power, similar to a portable battery where most of the power was stored.

"OH MY GOD! THIS IS ONLY A SIMULATION! YOU DESTROYED THE AI POD!" Kaz exclaimed.

"I thought you said that there will be no damage done to ZEKE in this simulation?" The drummer asked. "Besides, you nearly got us killed, you know?"

"You don't have to go overkill! Wait...you actually believed what I said?"

"Well...it's not our problem anyways..."

"Congrats Mugi-chan, we won the game!" Yui cheered.

"We did it?" Tsumugi could only give a puzzled look. "What game? Did I missed something?"


	7. The FSLN Comandante's Disappearance

Disclaimer: [Here]

* * *

**Musique Sans Frontieres**

* * *

Amanda Valenciano Libre, the successor of her father as the commander of the Sandanista National Liberation Front and a renowned member of Militaires Sans Frontieres, was held captive by the mercenary troops under the US regime. The Sandanistas had taken a vital role in the revolution in Nicaragua to overthrow the Somoza government backed by the National Guard and the U.S. government. They wanted to put an end to the Somozas' dictatorship and to claim what had been taken away from their people.

Her little brother, Chico, was still unaware of what had happened. She decided to leave him in Mother Base and check her comrades' situation in their country. After the Peace Walker incident, the comandante had no idea on what was waiting on her return.

It had been three days since Mother Base lost contact to the comandante until one of her men managed to deliver the news. According to him, they were ambushed in their base camp in the mountains after their encounter with the National Guards. It seemed like the government wanted to take out the guerrillas as quickly as possible with the help of the CIA was also said that Amanda and her crew was held in a small military outpost at the base of the mountain where his comrades where captured. Kaz Miller immediately planned a rescue unit to save the comandante. Unfortunately, most of the combat units in Mother Base were currently out in their own operations. Miller left him no other choice but to give the mission to the light music club.

"She's captured?" The guitarist asked the obvious while busy eating stuffed bread. She just got inside the room from her wonderful excursion in the mess hall.

"Yui, just be quiet if you won't say anything helpful," Ritsu said.

"We should set out as soon as possible. Any moment now, the prisoners might be transported elsewhere," Kaz noted.

"Don't worry. We will find the comandante and bring her back in one piece," Tsumugi assured.

"Mugi, don't speak for yourself. Think about us!" Mio spoke in a trembling voice in one corner of the room.

Before they could leave the room, someone already opened the door. They were quite astonished to see Chico with a miserable and disappointed look in his face.

"My sister...she's been captured?" Chico asked with a trembling voice.

"Don't worry...we will get her back." Kaz replied with resoluteness.

"Damn! Why does my sister have to carry all of the load? Why didn't she tell me about this?"

"Chico..."

"Let me go with you!"

The deputy commander rubbed his forehead. "You can't go...you might just slow them down."

"I can carry myself! I'm not a kid anymore!" Chico yelled in a voice that everyone didn't recognize.

"I think we should take any help that we can take," Tsumugi said calmly. "We could use a guide, Miller-san."

Miller looked at the eyes of the young Sandanista which was now full of determination, ready to face death in the midst of duty. Amanda herself wouldn't want to have her brother to be involve but Chico knew that was the moment to prove that he could stand on his own and able to repay the kindness of his compas and her sister. He once pledge in front of Big Boss to become a 'new man' back in the prison camp in Costa Rica. The deputy commander fixed his eyeglasses before giving a smile. "Okay then, whatever works best for you guys. Be careful out there."

"Miller-san, why are you always ordering us to do these kind of things?" The lead guitarist of the music club asked.

"Because most of his type are lazy bums who sit on their asses the whole day while watching the show unfold from a safe place."

"H-Hey, that was harsh!"

"The truth always knows the most painful spot, isn't it?"

The group took off to the military base with an Mi-24A multi-purpose helicopter after preparing their respective gear. They landed a mile away from the base and reluctantly continued their way on foot through the thick forest. It was a humid, hot afternoon trek for them with birds chirping freely from above.

"Sheesh, why do we have to walk if we could just land the helicopter on the base?" Ritsu grumbled while hacking down the shrubs in their way with a machete.

Miller spoke through their radio. "We could do that if the helicopter is indestructible or you're willing to pay the repair bills. Anyway, the outpost isn't that far. I won't send you there if you're not ready for the actual thing likewise."

"Point taken but I think you just said that for the sake of motivating us."

"I wish I brought a camera with me..." Tsumugi muttered as she looked around the lush, green environment.

"Yui, your turn!" Ritsu handed over the machete to the clumsy guitarist.

"Forest...insects...snakes," Mio chanted while grasping Ritsu's arm, not ready to let go.

"Mio, when are you going to let go off me?" Ritsu asked then thought of an idea. She jumped away from Mio and pointed to the ground, pretending to be surprised. "Oh my God, is that a poisonous snake?"

The bassist took defensive measures by grabbing the drummer's M16A1 and spraying the ground with bullets until she emptied the rifle's magazine. The rapid burst of gunshots startled the birds, making them flutter to safety. Ritsu almost couldn't breathe due to laughter. After the terrified girl recovered from the shock and realizing that it was just another prank of her friend, she swung the base of the gun to the brunette's head like a baseball bat. The blow instantly knocked her unconscious.

"Ow...That's gotta hurt," Chico muttered as he learned something important when being with Mio.

"Mio-senpai, you hit her too hard!" Azusa exclaimed then checked her friend's vital signs.

"She's an idiot, she deserved it," The frightened bassist coldly said with her arms crossed.

"Mugi-senpai, you're spacing out...Are you okay?" Azusa noticed.

The trance of the keyboardist was broken and replied to the pigtailed guitarist with a smile "Oh...yes...I'm fine. It must be the heat."

"I'm tired; I want some snacks right now." Yui complained after sticking the machete's blade on the ground.

"How about a break? I brought some cake with me." The keyboardist offered.

"Oh, that's fine with me, anything other than rations," said Chico, quite grateful.

"What the hell are you doing there?" Kaz asked, bewildered on their actions.

Yui replied, "Tea time~ We need to relax too, you know?"

* * *

After the unintentional delays and occasional outburst of their deputy commander, they soon arrived in the outpost's perimeter before sunset. Mio examined the area using her binoculars. There were sentries and guards around the area. The place had a watchtower overlooking the whole area, a small supply depot with two trucks for transportation in front of it, and some huts and houses that functioned as temporary barracks. Construction materials were also evident which may be used for improving the base.

Azusa carefully aimed her Mosin Nagant rifle equipped with a suppressor at the watchtower sentry before pulling the trigger. As soon as the soldier fell to sleep, Ritsu and the others rushed inside the base while Mio stayed with Azusa in the distance. The drummer's group hid behind a supply truck when a sentry passed by. She sneaked behind and shocked the unwary soldier using her stun rod. The soldier dropped to the ground as if having a bad seizure.

"Neutralized without a hitch!" Ritsu bragged, skillfully spinning her stun rod around her hand. Mio just sighed over the radio.

"Idiot, if you get caught out there, you won't get any help from me!"

"As if you're brave enough to rescue me here. But don't worry, we could manage."

"Maybe we should check that hut over there?" suggested Chico as he pointed a finger.

Not far from their position, two soldiers were guarding the door of a small hut. Tsumugi was about to try the magazine trick as a good distraction but Yui suddenly tossed a chocolate bar in front of the soldiers.

"There! That should do it!"

Ritsu whispered, "That can't possibly work, Yui."

The guards fixed their eyes on the thrown object for a few seconds before realizing that it was something far better than barely-edible rations. One of the soldiers decided to pick it up while the other threateningly glared at him.

"That's mine! I found it first!"

"Oh, really? For God's sake, I was the one who picked it up."

"Give me that!"

"MINE!"

The soldiers brawled over the chocolate while this gave time for the girls to check inside.

Ritsu was dumbfounded when the guitarist's plan worked. "Yui, how did you..."

"Ricchan, the irresistable charm of chocolates!" Yui firmly emphasized. "Feel the might of sweets!"

"Whatever. We should act quickly before they took notice of us."

Upon checking the interiors of the house, they only found crates of ammunition and other weapons scattered on the floor. There was no trace of the comandante or her comrades. They went around the house to check the other structures while the commotion caused by the two diverted all of the soldiers to them. As the group continued to search around, they heard someone shouting inside another house and checked inside through the window. There was a man covered in his own blood, tied on a wooden chair with a blindfold on his eyes. They thought that the prisoner might be one of the Sandanistas. Chico gritted his teeth in the sight of the torture. He remembered when he suffered the same fate after being captured by the Chrysalis AI weapon but he himself couldn't bear much torture and even talked about the location of his comrades.

"No doubt, that's one of my compas!" Chico cried.

"For the last time, where are your other guerrilla friends?" The soldier menacingly questioned but the Sandanista prisoner never uttered a word which made the more furious.

"Still not going to talk, eh?" The soldier pointed his M1911A1 pistol to the prisoner's head, about to give the death sentence. "You asked for it!"

Without wasting anymore moments, they quickly breached the door and pointed their weapons to the interrogator. The soldier was petrified in his place.

"FREEZE!" Ritsu commanded with her M16A1's laser sight aimed at the soldier's head. "Move a muscle or your head will blow up in seconds!"

"Uh...FREEZE!" Tsumugi quickly followed, drawing a Single Action Army revolver stylishly engraved with the MSF pattern from her holster then contentedly giggled. "Sorry...I just wanted to say that."

"Hey! No fair! Why do you always get the awesome ones! That model is engraved too!" The drummer leaned closer to the exquisite revolver with sparkling eyes for a closer look. "You won't see this gun everyday!"

"Ricchan, you're drooling..." The carefree guitarist notified. "Err...How long are we going to point our weapons? This is kinda heavy..."

Ritsu couldn't believe what she was seeing. "A combat shotgun? Didn't I told you to pick a lighter one?"

"This is very cute. See?" Yui handed over the combat shotgun with a design similar to Tsumugi's Peacemaker but had a cake's silhouette pattern as well.

"What the...this is custom-made too! Damn it!" Ritsu exclaimed with a stomp on the floor. "Wait...you don't even know how to use this thing!"

"You can ask the R&D team for custom ones like this," The keyboardist said, putting her index finger on her chin. "I'm very happy that they gave me this one."

"Can I have some snacks first? Ricchan, potato or tortilla chips?" asked Yui as she reached to one of her belt pockets.

"If you're going to kill me now...just do it," The soldier pleaded as his hands held up high, already losing patience and resolution. He stole a glance at Chico who was now quite embarrassed. "Hey, kid, are you with these girls? I can already imagine the mental torture..."

"Well, as much as I hate you...maybe we could have something in common too."

Ritsu raised an eyebrow. "What was that? Did we told you to talk?"

The soldier tensed up. "Ah, no! Please spare me!"

"Good! Don't think about fighting back."

They disarmed the soldier then restrained him with a rope, surprisingly without any attempt of retaliation as Chico released the guerrilla and removed his blindfold. The black-haired man slowly regain his vision, seeing that his rescuers were young soldiers; three of them were girls. Tsumugi handed over her canteen of water to the man which he willingly accepted.

"You're with MSF?" The man asked after drinking, quite relieved to be free from torture.

Ritsu gave him a nod. "Yeah."

"Are you with my sister's unit?" Chico hopefully asked.

The man stared at the eyes of the boy before nodding. "You must be her brother. I see that you've already grown so much."

"Is she still here?"

"They've probably them somewhere else," The man informed. "I was the only one left here."

Chico turned to the restrained soldier then pointed his AK-47.

"Where are they?" The young soldier questioned steadily.

"In the supply base...southwest of this outpost."

"Miller-san, please send a chopper for recovery," Tsumugi requested over the radio as crackling sounds could be heard.

The other end received the message."Acknowledged. Any news about Amanda?"

"It seemed that we arrived too late. The prisoners were already moved to the supply base..."

"I see. We already sent a chopper to pick him up. I've never imagined we have to infiltrate that supply base again. Then again, I'm impressed that the base is still operational until now?"

"Why would they move the prisoner into their main base?" Tsumugi asked while checking the situation outside. The surroundings were already dark and the soldiers watching the fight already returned to their respective posts.

"They've already got the Sandanista commander, everything else will fall soon," Kaz explained. "These soldiers are not actually onto us, but to the guerillas."

"Uhm, can you walk?" Yui asked, worried on the man's condition.

"I'm fine. Those bastards will pay for this."

"Wait...are you going to leave me here?" The soldier asked.

"Fine...We'll bring you too," Ritsu said. "No stupid ideas, or you'll gonna get it."

The group went back to Azusa and Mio, who were patiently waiting for them from the distance. They received another call from Kaz for the necessary updates in their operation.

"We already checked the supply base beforehand. There are soldiers patrolling outside the base and probably much more guarded inside," Kaz informed. "The base is also fitted with several AA weapons and platforms."

"Can we go home then?" Mio asked anxiously.

"Negative, we'll think of another way."

"Now, what? How did Snake managed to slip inside the base anyway?" Ritsu asked.

"Using a cardboard box..."

"Shoot, I should have guessed it!"

"Maybe we could use a truck from them," suggested Azusa, pointing to the suppy trucks parked in the outpost.

The girls looked at each other disappointingly then followed a moment of silence which made the deputy commander puzzled. It was surely a great idea, using an enemy vehicle as transport to the supply base without the worry of being compromised but there was something that the girls immediately realized.

"Uhhh...Is there a problem?" Kaz asked, still wondering on the sudden change in atmosphere.

"NOT EVEN ONE OF US IS A FREAKING DRIVER!" The drummer exclaimed over the radio.

"But you guys reached the Pacific with a yacht, which seemed to be much more complicated than driving a..."

"THAT'S A DIFFERENT STORY!"

"Uhm...I can drive if you just told me," Chico said shyly.

Everyone looked at the young soldier expectantly.

"You can drive, Chico?" Ritsu asked for the sake of clarification, still not convinced on what she heard.

"Wait...you are having doubts on me, aren't you?" Chico asked. "But, it's a truck we need...so I can't handle those..."

"THEN, WHAT'S THE POINT OF BRINGING THAT UP?" Ritsu exclaimed.

"Mister, how about you?" Yui eagerly asked the restrained soldier.

"Well, yeah...I can drive," The soldier reluctantly replied.

Tsumugi turned to the captured soldier and asked him convincingly. "Why not join us? You won't regret enlisting to MSF."

"Join MSF?" The soldier asked. "You got to be kidding me. I've heard you're just a bunch of renegades causing trouble."

"Really, you think all of those are true?" The drummer spoke in a loud voice, probably got quite insulted on what the soldier had said since they were already part of Outer Heaven as well. Knowing that the military group didn't belong to any state in the world, hearing such opinion from other people was somewhat normal. The keyboardist thought of another idea to persuade him.

"Then, how about this...we'll set you free after this operation," Tsumugi proposed. "You can think about joining us later."

"I guess that's a fair deal for me..." The soldier accepted the offer as he didn't have any other choice to begin with. His top prority as of that moment was to live anyways. "What if I refused to cooperate?"

"Too bad then..." The keyboardist discontentedly frowned while checking the bullet-loaded cylinder of her custom-made revolver. This made the soldier gulped in distress. He certainly knew what could happen when he made a small move against the girls. He just hoped he would be still alive afterwards.

"Anyways, just call me Mustang."

"A codename?" Yui asked. "Neat! Too bad we dropped the codename thing for ourselves!"

"Sounds like a guitar to me," Azusa whispered to herself.

"Just tell me what to do so we can finish this..."

"Mugi, you don't need to threaten him like that," The bassist whispered. "It's up to him if he wanted to join..."

"Don't worry, Mio-chan. I got this one under control," Tsumugi replied with her charming smile.

* * *

After they sent the Sandanista prisoner back to MSF Mother Base through fulton recovery, the group sneaked back to the outpost. Some soldiers on patrol already went inside the houses which made things easier. They checked the supply trucks in front of the depot. Fortunately, the truck's doors were not locked and the key was still placed in the ignition switch. Mustang gave a hearty chuckle upon realizing how lax and careless his comrades could get.

"Well...just wait here. I can arrange our trip to the supply base."

"Why do you need to inform them about this?" Ritsu asked suspiciously. "Hey, don't you think of selling us out."

"I won't. It's too risky for us to get out here without a fight."

"I know this is crazy but," Tsumugi said, fastening a C4 explosive on the soldier's waist, "if anything goes wrong, you will face the inevitable consequence."

"Uh...W-Wait a minute...A-Are you really that serious?" The soldier stammered anxiously. "Is this the way you treat a new comrade?"

"Of course, we need to make sure," The blonde haired girl responded then beamed giddily. "Don't disappoint us."

Azusa shuddered. "Mugi-senpai, what kind of things got into your head this time?"

Mustang entered the supply depot and returned back to them after several minutes with a grin.

"That was fast," Azusa noted. "I guess it's much more easier when you got an enemy work for our side."

"See? Nothing to fear. I have a small favor to ask as well..."

"What is it?"

"...Can you please remove the C4? I don't want my guts to be scattered around when this blows up."

* * *

They traveled through one of the transport routes used by the American soldiers to disseminate resources to distant outposts and small settlements. Chico sat together with the driver in the truck's cab while the rest were at the container area at the back. It was a peaceful evening for them so far.

"At this pace, we might reach the base tomorrow before noon," Mio said after doing some rough estimation while checking the map.

"Well...everything seemed to be easy don't you think?" Ritsu asked, recalling their actions since they started their mission.

"Luck...I guess," Tsumugi said wearily, almost wanting to get a good rest for tomorrow.

"Don't forget to get some sleep before proceeding to the base," Kaz advised. "Your reaction time will drastically decrease if you're tired, remember that."

"Affirmative. We'll give you a call if something happened," Azusa replied.

The group already traveled for an hour since they left the outpost. Having nothing to do, Ritsu decided to open some of the crates beside her. There were cans and packets of rations in the container, ranging from ready-to-eat ones to preserved foods that could be prepared anytime. Other crates hold ammunitions of different kinds and other military equipments. Some rocket-propelled grenades were also stacked together in the corner. She took one large can from the ration crate containing biscuits.

"Want some?" Ritsu gave the can of biscuits to Yui.

The guitarist happily accepted the can. She quickly removed the lid and took a tasty-looking buttered biscuit.

"Well...how was it?" Ritsu curiously asked.

"They're stale," The guitarist replied in a dissatisfied tone after tasting the biscuit. "Mugi-chan's biscuits are still the best."

"What did you expect? They're rations!" The drummer informed while Tsumugi giggled.

"Hm? What's that?" Azusa asked while gazing outside.

An AH-56A attack helicopter was swiftly approaching behind their truck. The soldiers in the outpost might already know about their infiltration and probably called for reinforcements to hunt them down. The chopper started firing its XM-196 machine gun from its nose turret, making the girls scream in terror.

"I'm not going to die..." Mio took cover behind one of the crates and clutched herself as she heard the rapid gunshots from the chopper.

"What's the meaning of this?" Tsumugi angrily asked.

"I don't know! They've probably knew what happened!"

"MUSTANG, STEP ON IT!" Ritsu cried.

"DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT CHOPPER! WE CAN'T OUTRUN IT!" The driver shouted back while mainting control of the truck's steering wheel. "Use the RPGs in the truck; it will give us a fighting chance!"

Ritsu grabbed an RPG-7 and loaded a HEAT round while the chopper continued its barrage of projectiles. She directly fired her weapon, hopefully making contact to the target. The round just passed beside the chopper, leaving it unharmed.

"Damn, missed!"

"You didn't even aim properly!" Azusa cried.

The chopper began to launch TOW missiles, already wanting to eliminate them as quick as possible. Mustang instinctively steered the truck to the left, miraculously avoiding the missiles. The explosions violently shook the whole truck which made them terribly pale. Azusa tried her own luck, picking up the RPG launcher Ritsu used. She took a deep breath while getting a precise aim. She pulled the trigger and soon after, the chopper burst into flames in the explosion as it slowly descended to the ground.

"Yay! Way to go, Azu-nyan!" Yui cheered, about to give Azusa a tight hug.

"Yui-senpai, not now!"

"I think it's far from over. Look!" Ritsu said as she pointed to the sky.

Their short celebration was interrupted when an AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter emerged out of the darkness and began pelting them with its dual miniguns. In desperation, Mustang decided to drive the truck through the woods, and crashed afterwards onto a large tree. Everyone at the container area was pulled to the front upon impact, colliding themselves with the crates. They were all in a dazed state as they got down the truck. Fortunately, no one got severely injured, only some minor bruises for the girls in the container area.

"Hey, tell us what you will do next!" The drummer shouted angrily.

"If I didn't do that, we're already dead by now," The soldier replied.

Tsumugi examined the truck and said with a frown, "We got to take another truck then..."

"Ouchie...Where's Mio-chan?" Yui asked while rubbing her aching arm.

"Oh my, are you okay Mio-chan?" The keyboardist worriedly asked, shaking the shoulders of the club's bassist. "She...fainted."

"So much for the plan. Now we've lost our only ticket to get inside the base," Azusa said discontentedly. "Well, at least we're still alive, that's more important."

They could still hear the whirling sound of the helicopter's rotor from above the canopy. Ritsu and the others used the time to rest while maintaining low profile to avoid detection. Fortunately for them, the trees' thick foliage gave their pursuers a hard time getting their location. After awhile the chopper gave up and headed back to their base to refuel. They decided to return back to the road but only to see another impending hindrance. It was a godsend for them to have the opportunity to continue what they planned from the start. A BTR-60PB armored personnel carrier with some heavily-armored escort soldiers was patiently waiting by the road. Chico and the others hid behind the thick bushes, observing every movement of the unit.

Miller's voice rang onto their radios. "It looks like they're that desperate to catch you."

"How about we take that one?" Ritsu asked, preparing her M16A1 assault rifle. "It could give us a ride straight to their base."

"We can't possibly beat them in a head-on fight." Azusa pointed out. "We don't get any more tries if we slipped up."

The drummer gave a devious grin. "Of course, we won't."

"If we need that vehicle, we should only take out the escorts," Mustang advised. "Any ideas?"

"I've thought of something, but I doubt if it will work."

"Let's here it."

Mio gave a doubtful stare to the drummer. "I wish that would actually work."

"Those bastards, sending us here at this hour," complained a red-haired soldier as he sat on top of the armored vehicle. "They better give us compensation this time."

A soldier with a machine gun on his back just shrugged. "Do we have other choices? At least, we get to see some action."

Another blonde soldier, who held up his rifle, replied, "In the end, we're just guarding this route for those renegades. What could possibly happen at this hour?"

"Well. I don't know about you guys, but I kinda like this place rather than being ordered around."

The captain of the group went out of the vehicle's hatch. "I just got a call from HQ. It seems a hostile group is about to get here any minute now."

"Ah, is that good news for us?"

"See? It's fate that we could be involve in some action this time!"

"It's not good if you get to be killed by the enemy though."

The armored vehicle unit was astonished upon hearing an explosion near their location.

"What was that?"

"Don't just stand there, check it out!" The captain decisively ordered. "It must be them!"

The escort soldiers went inside the woods to investigate, leaving the armored carrier behind. This gave an opportunity for Mustang, Yui and Mio to get close to the BTR-60PB which was still unaware of their presence. Yui voluntarily knocked the steel exterior of the vehicle, annoying a few remaining soldiers inside. A soldier came out of the vehicle's roof hatch to check what was causing the disturbance. He was quite puzzled when there was no one to be seen. Mustang quickly restrained the soldier from the back and asked to shoot the enemy before it could break free. Yui tensely aimed her silenced Mk22 pistol at the two then fired a few rounds with her eyes closed.

"Damnit, Why me?" Mustang exclaimed after realizing a tranquilizer round hit his right leg.

The soldier got the chance of pinning down Mustang to the ground. Upon seeing this, Mio immediately drew her own Mk22 then released two rounds from her pistol. The captain emerged from the vehicle with a pistol in his hand upon hearing the commotion. She again drew another weapon, an M19 combat revolver on her left holster. The captain was about to pull the trigger when she remarkably hit the enemy's pistol just in time, dramatically disarming him in the process. The bassist turned her right arm with the Mk22 to the soldier then fired a round straight to his head, quickly putting him to sleep.

"Good thing that he wasn't wearing a helmet," Mio said in relief as she returned her handguns to its respective holsters.

"Woah...Are you a sharpshooter or something?" Mustang said in amazement.

"Mio-chan, that was awesome!" Yui commended as she clapped her hands vigorously.

The armored vehicle's engine suddenly started, attempting to escape to safety. Yui quickly entered inside and neutralized the driver of the BTP-60PB with her stun rod before he could get away.

"It seemed that the diversion worked perfectly. How was it?" Tsumugi asked.

"I can't believe they'll fell for it," Mustang said softly, still fighting the effects of the tranquilizer. "Suckers..."

Mio turned to the club's drummer and asked her interestedly. "What about the rest of the soldiers?"

Ritsu proudly smacked a fist to her chest. "Already taken care of."

"You killed them?"

"No. We just knocked them out...that's all," The pigtailed girl replied.

The bassist whacked the head of Ritsu in a chopping motion. "Figures."

* * *

After the terrifying pursuit by combat helicopters and seizing an armored vehicle last night, the group finally arrived in the outskirts of the supply base. Like what the deputy commander had said, the base was patrolled with soldiers and armored vehicles around the area, preventing any means of entering the base. Their armored vehicle slowly approached the gate, prepared if the worst happens. Surprisingly, the soldiers in the checkpoint let them through They all sighed in relief as they got inside the supply base without alarming their presence. Typical for any sneaking mission.

"Good. You guys just need to find the comandante and you're done. We've already sent some backup units for the extraction later," Kaz informed.

The base was a lot larger inside, complete with different facilities, including a runway strip for planes and defensive weapon systems. The supply base was once taken over by Russian soldiers from the KGB in the later part of the Peace Walker incident. The group headed immediately towards prison facility where prisoners of war were held.

"How'd you know this is the right place?" Mio asked.

"Well...I was stationed in this base once, specifically in the prison facility," The soldier replied as he walked ahead of them.

"That's convenient then."

They went out the armored vehicle and ran towards the doors of the building. Mio partly opened the door, seeing soldiers around the place. Azusa thought of an idea of throwing some sleep gas grenades inside before entering the hall. A thick cloud of sleep-inducing gas quickly spread across the room, making the soldiers drowsy and eventually fell to the floor one by one in a quiet slumber. They searched the corridors which contained the prisoners, knocking each of the steel doors of every room. The peepholes weren't much help because of the darkness inside.

Tsumugi called out, "Anyone here?"

A woman asked anxiously, her own voice echoing inside the room, "Who's there?"

"Comandante, is that you?" Tsumugi asked. "We're from MSF. Chico's with us as well."

"Huh? Chico?" Amanda went closer as she attempted to open the door. "Can you open the door from outside?"

"The door won't open...do we need a key or something?" Mio asked after checking the steel door.

"Oh, right...I forgot that the cell doors were operated in a control room somewhere," Mustang noted.

Mustang and Tsumugi quickly went to the control room to open the cell door of the comandante. After knocking out the guard inside, Mustang pressed a button which unlocked all of the doors of the prisoners. Upon opening the cell's door, Amanda quickly gave a reassuring hug to her little brother while tears began to form on her eyes.

"You really came all the way here to save me, huh?" The Sandanista comandante sobbed.

"Don't forget about me next time. I'm a soldier too!"

"I should thank you for the trouble of rescuing us," Amanda said then gave a questioning stare. "Wait...you're those high school girls who joined not long ago. You girls actually continued, huh? "

"Yes, we actually enjoyed the experience," The keyboardist replied cheerily.

"Not everyone here feels the same, Mugi," Mio muttered.

After they freed all of the remaining prisoners in the facility, the security alarm went on unexpectedly. Yui checked outside to see several armored vehicles and soldiers surrounding the building.

"Captain, we've been surrounded!" The lead guitarist reported after a swift salute.

Azusa's fear was getting the better of her. "What now?"

"Go to the rooftop and fulton our way out!" Ritsu said panickly.

Mio rejected the drummer's idea. "We're too many! How can we do that? We might get shot down before the recovery choppers could retrieve us."

The blonde girl cocked her Peacemaker revolver as she narrowed her eyes. "I guess we have no other choice then..."

"Mugi-senpai, are you serious?"

"They'll never take us without a fight!"

The drummer clapped her hands in admiration. "Ooh! An example of a true soldier!"

"Ah, I'm sorry. That was just another line that I wanted to say."

They heard a familiar roar in the distance which made them flustered. Tsumugi quickly recognize the voice. "Is that...ZEKE?"

"Finally!" Mio sighed, realizing that their reinforcements arrived just in time.

The MSF's bipedal tank was creating the uproar in the base, destroying everything it came across with its powerful armaments. A group of attack choppers followed to give support. They all gaped in a mix of astonishment and fear as they watched the action seen only in movies. The base already turned into a battlezone, complete with the distressing sound of the siren, seemingly unending gunfire bursts and deafening explosions to compensate the atmosphere.

"What are you waiting for? Get to the extraction point!" Kaz ordered while another explosion echoed after ZEKE neutralized another T-72U tank with its railgun.

"Wait...this means that all of our hard work getting inside was useless?" The drummer asked.

"What do you mean?" The puzzled deputy commander asked.

"If we could use ZEKE in the beginning, we wouldn't bother to find a way to get inside!"

"Why didn't I think of that earlier?" Tsumugi wondered after putting a finger on her chin. "Also, I think I've seen this scene somewhere before."

"Are you going to argue with me all day or board the transport chopper?"

"Fine...You owe us a mission, Kaz." Ritsu reminded.


	8. Outer Ops : Hold the Base!

...

* * *

**Musique Sans Frontieres**

* * *

Somewhere in the frozen, vast terrain of Alaska, the light music club was assigned in an MSF's outpost to give support to the soldiers stationed in the base. The said outpost was experiencing assaults from the CIA since it was discovered. It had been almost a day since the girls and few other MSF soldiers survived the previous attack. They had a MBT-70 tank with them, along with two LAV-Gs and an UH-1 Iroquois transport helicopter. The idea of improving the settlement was harder than expected, especially with the occasional delays given by the CIA mercenaries and the frequent snowstorms in the area.

After their dinner in the mess hall, the mechanics took the opportunity of making some necessary repairs and adjustments at the damaged vehicles. Some soldiers also deployed mines at the rear part of the outpost as additional defense. A blizzard brewed after an hour, forcing everyone to take shelter in their respective quarters. The girls stayed in a small log cabin at the farthest part of the base provided to them since they arrived in the outpost.

They were gathered inside the lounge with a cozy fireplace except for Tsumugi who was busy preparing tea and some snacks in the kitchen. Mio's eyes were fixed in the fireplace, quietly watching the fire consume the last piece of wood Ritsu threw. Azusa just watched the large amount of snowfall accompanied by the strong, swishing winds outside through the frosted window, wondering when will the violent snowstorm stop. It was a cold, dull night without nothing much to do but granted them chance to relax or loaf around and of course, tea time, considered as an important ceremonial activity held every club meetings back in their school.

"From a lot of decent places on this world, why do they need to make an outpost here in Alaska?" Ritsu protested, shivering due to the almost sub-zero temperature. The unique MSF arctic fatigues they wore kept them from getting frostbite but their inexperience in adapting to harsh climates was a significant disadvantage for them.

"Don't ask us, ask Miller-san." Mio reluctantly replied. "I don't know what they can get out of this either..."

"Maybe to have a couple of strategic positions? I heard it saves a lot of money if you have a base near a conflict zone." Tsumugi guessed.

"Well, at least we can get to use those awesome weapons." Ritsu contentedly said, pointing at some of the weapons placed in the corner. A couple of M16A1s, M60s and its respective ammo reserves, an M47 anti-tank missile launcher and an M202A1 rocket launcher and that was originally stashed in their cabin when there was no one using it.

After their successful mission of rescuing the FSLN comandante, Ritsu dragged Azusa along to the deputy commander and demanded to give them a similar, customized weapon like Yui and Tsumugi already got from the R&D Team. Apparently, Azusa received an engraved, lightweight version of the SVD sniper rifle equipped with a night vision scope and a stylish yet deadly bayonet for close quarters combat while Ritsu got a similar design on her dual M10 submachine guns, outfitted with suppressors and laser sights for added versatility. Both of the custom M10s the drummer received were lighter than the original, making it possible to wield the two of it with ease.

"R-Ricchan...I'm...f-freezing..." Yui said in a shaky voice despite of being covered in a thick blanket and a scarf around her neck. The guitarist herself wasn't fond of cold places like air-conditioned rooms but now was a huge difference in temperature, making her greatly shiver. "I-If I won't make it through this mission...tell Ui that..."

"Yui-senpai! You sounded like you're going to die here!" Azusa worriedly interrupted then reached for something in one of her pockets. "Here, have my chocolate bar."

"Yay! Thank you, Azu-nyan!" Yui gave the pigtailed girl a tight, thanksgiving hug, then realized something quite notable for her. "Oh...it's warm. Can I just hug you the whole time?"

"Why not try hugging someone else for a change!" Azusa protested, trying to break free from the hug.

Yui glanced at the other two in the room. Ritsu glared at the guitarist with an M10 pointed at her, clearly implying her disapproval. The bassist was still entranced in the soothing fireplace, not wanting to be disturbed anytime soon.

"Tea's ready." Tsumugi announced with a recuperative smile after brewing tea. She placed the tray on a small table at the center and handed the teacups to each of them.

"Thank you, Mugi-chan!" Yui gladly said as she was waiting for the snacks.

Tsumugi looked outside the window. "It looks like the snowstorm calmed down a bit compared earlier..."

"That's a relief..." Azusa said, taking her own cup of tea on the tray.

"Oh...can someone borrow a match or something in the other cabins? The fire died already..." Mio requested after realizing that the matchbox was already empty. She forgot to throw in some new wood in the fireplace to keep the fire alive since she herself was spacing out. "How about you, Ritsu?"

"With the snowstorm outside? I'll pass..." Ritsu quickly turned down the bassist. "We have to settle this fair and square, you hear me?"

"Not...again..."

"Whoever finishes last in drinking a steaming cup of tea will be the lucky person to get the match." Yui suggested then thought of another idea. "Maybe who can eat the most cookies in a minute?"

"No, it will be a simple shooting contest!" Ritsu firmly declared with her fist up high.

"Maybe I could get to Ritsu-senpai's idea..." Azusa followed then paused for a bit after drinking her tea, evaluating what she had said. "Wait...what am I saying?"

"Oh, how about a staring contest?" Yui asked after sipping from her cup of tea.

"Wait, I got a better idea!" The drummer exclaimed then slightly shivered. "Is it just me, or it's getting colder here now?"

"Just admit it, you don't want to go outside..." Mio responded then stood up in annoyance. "Fine! I'll get one myself!"

"What? We haven't even decided yet!" Ritsu said. "You're no fun, Mio."

"Mio-senpai, let me go with you." Azusa volunteered, following the bassist to the door. Mio opened the door which allowed the icy wind enter inside. The two wore thick fur coat hung behind the door for extra protection before going outside to the other nearby cabins.

"Hey, Mio, don't forget to close the door!" Ritsu reminded.

"I know, idiot!" Mio yelled then pitched a handgun magazine straight to Ritsu's forehead, knocking her down on her seat afterwards. The others patiently waited for the two while sipping warm tea. Yui found a cookbook full of different cuisines around the world which was enough to make her drool by just reading its content. She wasn't a cook herself but enjoys reading such materials. Tsumugi decided to brew more tea for later while Ritsu tried to juggle empty magazines out of boredom. After some minutes, Mio and Azusa returned with a lighter and a deck of cards.

"Welcome back!" Yui greeted cheerily.

"Badger gave us this lighter." Mio said. "She's very kind if you ask me, unlike some people I know."

"Hey!" Ritsu reacted. "Huh? Cards? Let's play!"

"She's the leader of Team Foxtrot, right?" Tsumugi asked. "It's hard to tell if MSF soldiers always wear their balaclava."

After lighting the newly-placed blocks of wood in the fireplace, they again gathered around the table and took each of their own cups of tea the keyboardist prepared for them beforehand. Ritsu glanced at Mio and a devious smile formed in her face as she thought of an idea of sharing ghost stories. Mio's fist automatically struck the head of the drummer, making her drop the mischievous plan. The group remained idle for another hour; eating snacks, hearing occasional complaints of the drummer about the outpost's location and playing cards.

Soon, they got tired and decided to take turns in sleeping and to keep the fireplace lit until morning. Nothing significant happened throughout the night. Azusa was the last watch before sunrise but all of them were already awake. The snowstorm already subsided which made their mood a bit lighter. Tsumugi and Mio started making tea, hot cocoa drink and preparing two cans of cream of mushroom soup in a pot, adding some vegetables with it for the start of a new day. The two eagerly served the food back in the lounge and place them on the table then Tsumugi went back to the kitchen for a loaf of bread and strawberry jam which was requested by Yui.

"Here." Tsumugi handed over the strawberry jam to Yui.

"Thank you, Mugi-chan!"

"Finally, no more snowstorm." Azusa contentedly said while stretching her arms then she sat beside Ritsu. Mio just nodded in response, drinking a mug of hot cocoa.

"Yeah, I don't want to be cooped up here all day if you ask me." Ritsu concurred then turned to Yui.

"Ricchan, why are you staring at me?" The guitarist noticed while spreading jam on her slice of bread.

"Hm? Yui, what's that on your head?" Ritsu asked upon seeing a bright red spot on the guitarist's head.

Azusa's eyes anxiously followed the red trail of light coming from outside the window and without any time to explain what tragedy could happen, she quickly tackled her senpai from her seat, flinging the bread Yui was about to eat. The room's window shattered afterwards, making the others took cover in panic while pigtailed girl crawled her way to get her sniper rifle. Nobody managed to save their breakfast, except for Yui snatching her soup just in time despite of being knocked down. The unknown attacker continued to fire several shots, pelting the table with bullets along with the tea set, soup bowls and mugs and sending the leftover snacks all over the place.

"Our tea set!" Mugi gasped in astonishment.

"My soup!" Ritsu cried. "Huh? Yui, no fair! You carried yours?"

"Yay, still safe!" Yui proudly raised her bowl high enough to be exposed outside, allowing the assailant to fire at the soup-filled bowl in her hand. The bowl bursted with its contents, covering her whole arm with the hot soup. It was a good thing that she was wearing her gloves and her uniform protected her to any further complications. "My creamy mushroom soup!"

"There goes our breakfast..." Azusa muttered disappointingly.

"What the hell...first the snowstorm, now, them?" Ritsu complained with her dual M10s at the ready. "I think they really have serious issues about us."

"That's the last straw!" Yui furiously cried after grabbing her custom shotgun and M16A1 rifle equipped with a smoke grenade launcher, ready to retaliate at their attackers. "No one disturbs our breakfast!"

"How rude!" Tsumugi exclaimed, loading bullets in each chamber of her Single Action Army revolver. "I shall teach them some manners, the hard way!"

"Mugi, please don't go overboard..." Mio nervously spoke, loading a magazine in her XM16E1 assault rifle. "Wait...are we going to...kill them?"

"No, stick to the routine; don't aim for their vital parts." Ritsu reminded.

"If they sincerely apologize, I might consider sparing their lives." Tsumugi said in a cold voice.

"Mugi, don't tell me..." Mio's eyes widened upon hearing what the keyboardist said.

"Just kidding. I wanted to say lines like that."

Azusa went to the other window and scanned the higher ground with the night vision scope of her sniper rifle. After getting clear aim of the culprit, she fired two rounds which hit its right arm then somewhere in its left leg. Other MSF soldiers were already behind a LAV-G, looking an opportunity to strike back from the barrage of gunfire from the enemy soldiers from higher ground. There were also a couple of snipers and soldiers wielding RPG launchers.

"I'll help the others outside." Azusa said, ready to dash outside. "Maybe someone should monitor the situation from the back just in case..."

"We'll defend the rear of the outpost then." Tsumugi responded.

"Let me go with you, Azu-nyan!" Yui said.

"Why do you have to follow me, Yui-senpai?" Azusa asked then Yui closely stared at her with cute, pleading eyes. "Fine, let's go..."

"Thank you, Azu-nyan!"

The duo sprinted to the front lines to aid their comrades. Azusa positioned herself behind the nearest tree and took out the soldiers one by one with her SVD sniper rifle. Yui followed to cover Azusa with her assault rifle. Enemy soldiers consecutively fired three RPGs to the MBT-70 tank parked in front of the supply depot, which exploded afterwards, injuring nearby MSF soldiers in the process. The others finally countered with their own weapons despite of the disadvantage in terrain.

Yui launched a smoke grenade at the group of soldiers on higher ground for her comrades to get a free aim on the targets. A thick cloud of pink smoke was released afterwards, temporarily obscuring their vision and making them confused at the same time. Everyone in the area, whether it would be an ally or hostile soldier, paused for a bit to see the very peculiar, bright-colored smoke being drifted by the wind. Azusa gaped at the eye-catching scene which made everybody stop. Mio and the others also wondered what could be happening in the sudden silence. Some of the soldiers were quietly laughing which made Yui quite offended.

"What's wrong with the color of my smoke grenade?" Yui angrily squealed with tears on her eyes. "You got a problem with that?"

The soldiers around just shrugged and returned to the action as if nothing was seen.

"Uh...Yui-senpai...just don't mind them..." Azusa comforted. "But, I don't remember the R&D Team creating a smoke grenade like yours..."

The brunette quickly brightened up and cuddled Azusa. "Next time, I'll request for rainbow-colored ones! You want to request a color too?"

"Ugh, are you even listening?"

"Azusa? Yui? Are you two alright?" Mio asked using their radio.

"Huh? Was there a temporary ceasefire in there?" Ritsu questioned after noticing a brief period of in the front of the outpost.

"Oh, it's nothing..." Azusa replied.

"For the others inside the cabin, continue to guard the base from the back. We'll take care of the rest." Badger spoke through their radio. "If everything else fails, I want you guys to return back to Mother Base. We will buy you some time for that."

"A-Are you sure?" Mio worriedly asked.

"Miller doesn't want you girls dead, as well as Big Boss." The soldier replied with the loud gunfires served as background. "But it doesn't mean that we're giving up already, okay?"

"U-Understood. What will you do if..."

The captain didn't respond as exchange of gunshots continued to fill the air. The girls positioned themselves behind the windows in the right side of their cabin and open fired to the enemy soldiers. They managed to impede the advancing forces, maiming the enemy soldiers with their precise shots. Soon after, an M113 armored personnel carrier emerged from the distance along with its heavily-armed escort soldiers.

"Seriously? The CIA is THAT desperate?" Ritsu exclaimed. "Wait...we could use the anti-tank missile with the other ones."

Tsumugi immediately went to the stash of weapons in the corner and quickly grabbed the M47 which was already loaded with an anti-tank warhead. Ritsu followed and got the M202A1 rocket launcher.

"Eh? Mine's completely useless." Ritsu said in disappointment after checking that the rocket launcher was empty then turned to the keyboardist. "It looks like we can only get a shot from that thing. We can't miss this time."

"Definitely!" Tsumugi happily responded.

"You know how to use that anti-tank missile?" Ritsu asked after grabbing an M60 machine gun and a tripod for the gun's mount.

"Yes. I happened to saw some soldiers having a tutorial about this weapon. You just need to guide the missile to its target with its sight. I just need someone to cover me, since I will be vulnerable while using it."

"Well, I can do that for you, if you want to..." Ritsu scratched her head.

Ritsu provided cover while Tsumugi set up the M47 launcher on the wooden floor with a bipod and carefully aligned the night sight's crosshair to the target, making sure that the warhead will make contact with the M113 armored carrier. Mio switched to her M21 sniper rifle, sniping from the window. They were not aiming at the enemy's vital parts as what they agreed before they were sent out in any missions outside Mother Base. It was hard at first to neutralize soldiers without actually killing them directly by firing an accurate shot to their heads but with practice, disabling their enemy became much easier and rewarding.

Tsumugi pulled the trigger and the missile swiftly went its way to the target. Upon seeing this, the escort soldiers quickly lunged away from the vehicle before they themselves get caught in the blast. One missile was enough to put the vehicle out of commission.

"Did I hit it?" Tsumugi asked while still looking in the sight of the missile launcher. Ritsu just laughed then tapped the shoulder of the keyboardist and pointed to the remains of the armored vehicle.

"Nice one, Mugi-senpai!" Azusa complimented through the radio.

"Wait...incoming enemy reinforcements." Mio announced. "Get ready!"

Two more armored vehicles of the same type with heavily-armed soldiers were swiftly approaching south of their outpost.

"...Is this the end?" Ritsu muttered, dropping to her knees as if defeated already.

"Huh? Don't worry, we're still in this fight." Tsumugi said in high spirits.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see..."

They tried to slow down the enemy unit by neutralizing the escort soldiers. The unit answered back with their own barrage of gunfire, applying more pressure to them. Ritsu and Tsumugi resorted to lying flat on the floor to avoid catching the bullets. Before the vehicles got close to the cabin, a series of explosion surprised the hostile unit. Some soldiers got blasted by anti-personnel mines hidden under the blanket of snow while the APCs' wheels exploded, unable to move any further after triggering the anti-tank mines.

"Anti-personnel and anti-tank mines? What just happened?" Ritsu asked, turning her head to the blonde-haired girl. "Did I miss something important here?

"Ritsu-senpai, don't you remember? We deployed mines at the back part of the base in case of another assault." Azusa reminded.

"Really?" The drummer tilted her head to the side, trying to recall what she did during that time.

"That's what you get sleeping all day..." Mio said while loading a new magazine to her sniper rifle.

"Well, we're not done yet."

"So, that's why you guys were not much worried when someone attacked from behind, huh?" Ritsu exclaimed after rising from the snow-covered floor . "You should've told me!"

The remaining soldiers didn't anymore pose a problem to them, thanks to the mines cutting almost half of the enemy forces. After neutralizing the other soldiers who were still in the state of shock, they secured the two M113 APCs along with the injured soldiers who chose to surrender. They considered themselves quite lucky for being spared. Afterwards, they went back to their other comrades to check the situation. The LAV-Gs was spraying deadly projectiles with its machineguns on the invading soldiers from the front.

Some of the MSF soldiers managed to take down all the hostile soldiers on the higher ground, leaving the others to retreat back to the woods in the west. Azusa left her senpai to check the outpost's condition. Meanwhile, Yui decided to rest under the tree with a pack of potato chips in hand as if watching a live war film that was about to end.

"Oh, how did you do?" Yui asked while contently munching some potato chips she got after the battle.

"You got the nerve of asking us, huh?" Ritsu furiously responded. "I guess you didn't do much anyways."

"It looks like we have a lot of mess to clean later, huh?" Mio said after looking around the surroundings.

"After this, I want to give Kaz a good whack on his head the moment we return to Mother Base."

"Before everything else, we need to find the one who ruined our breakfast for today!" Yui reminded.


	9. Yui's Free Day

**Disclaimer: [Here]**

* * *

**Musique Sans Frontieres**

* * *

Waking up early in the morning was no easy task for Yui, especially if her sister is not around to serve as her personal alarm clock. Even the siren in the living quarters every morning before sunset was not enough to wake her up. She usually slept an hour or two longer than everybody else when not disturbed. Today was not much different, except falling over her bed several times which left her completely conscious.

Even though the light music club was accepted as members of the military group, they were still treated as visitors which they could do anything they please other than stupid things such as pushing the self-destruct button inside Mother Base, resulting to the outrage of their deputy commander. Kaz was still responsible for the actions of the girls and the mess that they will make. Like any other soldiers working for Outer Heaven, they also received payment for their work like having a part-time job during their summer vacation but Yui mostly used them in buying food alone.

She noticed that she was alone in their room upon waking up which made her remember about their deputy commander giving soldiers a free day for no particular reason. After fixing herself up, she decided to take a walk around Mother Base in their free day given to everybody. She didn't bother to bring her combat shotgun after realizing it was too heavy to be carried around. Different kinds of seabirds gathered around the place to rest from their flight. Some soldiers doing some early fishing to kill time or jogging around the deck. The morning cool breeze made her drowsy, almost wanting her to get back to their room and sleep for another hour but her stomach started to revolt, demanding her to have breakfast as soon as possible. Food was top priority for her, after all.

As a start, she went to the mess hall for breakfast. There were quite a lot soldiers around for the day's breakfast, considering the given day off for all. She went to the end of the line after grabbing a plastic tray to pick from the lavish display of breakfast menu. Sunny-side up eggs, bacon and ham, toasted bread, fresh fruits, soup, cooked rice, dairy food such as cheese and milk, pancakes with a wide selection of syrups, homemade gallo pinto recipe from Amanda, the special curry made by the combined efforts of the R&D and Mess Hall team, salad and many more others.

There were also separate food stalls for desserts and snacks. The ice cream corner was her all-time favorite and never forgot to buy something before leaving the building. Since different kinds of soldiers from around the world joined the military group, they also brought in their respective cultures as well. This means including new recipes in the mess hall's menu. Although the menu itself was plentiful and varied everyday, food was still limited per person which was quite a disappointment for the likes of Yui. Outer Heaven still need to pay bills and other stuff needed for them to survive, from purchasing additional equipment and weapons to maintenance of the facilities inside the base. Soldiers were freely given an option to pay for extra servings if not satisfied their appetite.

She spent the first ten minutes in carefully choosing her 'special breakfast mix', making the line increase to blockbuster size. She happily picked almost all of the food displayed. She made a promise to herself that she need to taste all of the food she never had the chance to see or taste in her country before they leave Mother Base. That was somewhat a golden opportunity for her. The soldiers looked at her every action impatiently, wondering why she need to spent ridiculous amount of time for just deciding what to eat as if checking her examination paper before submitting it to the teacher.

"Hey, I was just wondering if this happens everyday?" A tall soldier asked the person in front of him, confused in the small commotion brewing. "I just got here yesterday."

"Sometimes. If you don't want to get caught in a line like this, try coming here at the mess hall a little early." The other reluctantly replied, already wanting to leap towards the food counter. "That brunette is playing like a connoisseur and takes forever in picking her meal. The longest I think was nearly half an hour. I resorted to eating my three-day-old rations before I collapse due to hunger!"

"Yeah, what he said." A female soldier joined the conversation. "Although, I can't blame her for that. Food here is definitely the best."

"Are you done yet?" The soldier beside Yui asked then took a step back after recognizing her. He suddenly remembered the last time when the same clumsy guitarist bumped into him carrying the Outer Heaven Sundae Deluxe 9000 and a large glass of strawberry smoothie complete with chocolate syrup, sprinkles and a large strawberry on top, flinging them directly to his unprotected face. "Wait...you again?"

"Hm...I was just wondering if I should go for orange juice or green tea?" Yui replied with her eyes fixed in the menu, thinking of a suitable drink to finally complete her meal. "What do you think?"

"Anything will do, I suppose. Why not have both of them?" The soldier quickly suggested. "And please hurry up, will you?"

"Great! I think I'll get an orange juice, a glass of milk AND green tea," Yui happily told the girl at the counter.

The soldier just rubbed his face in annoyance as Yui spent another whole minute of finalizing her choices. The girl at the counter reviewed the guitarist's order before giving her the requested food she chose. She placed them on her tray and only then noticed the person tending the counter.

"Mugi-chan?"

"Good Morning. What's the matter, Yui? You seemed so surprise to see me." Tsumugi replied with a smile while fixing her white apron.

"Oh, I didn't know you work here..." The guitarist shyly said.

"Really? I help here sometimes if I'm free. Oh, Mio-chan was also working with me in the kitchen awhile ago."

"Mio-chan did? Where is she now?"

"Sorry, I don't know either," said the keyboardist then glanced at the soldiers in the line, glaring at her friend. "I'm almost done here, maybe I could accompany you after your breakfast."

"Sure, Mugi-chan!" Yui responded then proceeded to the dessert and snack corner, taking some more minutes in choosing her dessert. She went to a nearby unoccupied table and placed her tray full of mouthwatering food. She sat in a comfortable position, ready to chow down.

"Uhm...Yui, can we seat with you?" A female voice spoke behind her. She turned her head around with her toasted bread still in her mouth after recognizing the familiar voice. She happily nodded and tapped the empty space beside her, inviting them to have a seat. The group took their seats, three of the soldiers sat parallel to the guitarist while the only female in the group sat beside Yui, putting her own tray in front of her. The soldiers were some of her close friends a few days after she arrived in the base. She also met them inside the mess hall and often shared food with one another when they eat together.

Moth and Addax were former CIA mercenaries, who joined MSF during the Peace Walker incident and they were both currently assigned in the combat team. They two were in the same unit before being recruited by Big Boss when they encountered him in the cloud forest. Since then, they became fans of their boss his skills. The youngest in the group was Raven, a frank and versatile soldier assigned in the intel team, almost as close as the age of the guitarist. She was a volunteer soldier and considered joining after hearing about the increasing reputation of the military group. She was also skilled in the kitchen and sometimes hang around the mess hall if had her free time. Pigeon was a seasoned combat medic during the Vietnam War. After some months of recovery from his injuries in the conflict, he decided to continue his career until he found Outer Heaven, a new home where soldiers were never treated like tools for any country.

They began to eat heartily while Moth opened up the conversation. "Honestly, you girls are quite popular here...especially one of your friend..."

"Really?" Yui asked, quite brightened up while taking a portion from her triple-layered pancake with her fork.

"Yup, really. Despite that this place is an offshore fortress for battle-hardened soldiers, some of the people inside Mother Base are actually members of a certain fan club..."

"Outer Heaven's Akiyama Mio Fun Club!" Addax proudly continued, slamming a fist to the table.

"FAN-CLUB!" Moth corrected, striking the back of his friend's head.

"Damnit, not too loud!"

"To make things clear, I'm not involved in their fanclub, Yui," Pigeon said after drinking, not clearly interested at the conversation.

"Oh, Mio has a fanclub here too?"

"Uh-huh. I worked with her a couple of times around Mother Base. She's kind, responsible...oh, and a good sharpshooter too!" Moth said enthusiastically, enumerating the bassist's finest qualities. "I heard she's also working here in the mess hall!"

Raven just sighed after drinking her steaming Costa Rican coffee. "Don't worry, they won't go more than that. Already reported this 'fanclub' to Big Boss some time ago..."

"But...but, he said that it's okay," Addax embarrassedly defended.

"It's not of my concern now anyways," Raven firmly replied then turned to Yui. "We'll be making barbecues later at the back of the living quarters. Drop by if you want to give it a try. I want my recipe to be included in the mess hall's menu too."

The group went ahead of her upon finishing their meal, probably to begin making barbecue. Tsumugi approached the guitarist after finishing her work at the kitchen. Before leaving the mess hall, the two went to the snack corner and Yui bought some stuffed bread for her to eat later.

The two went for a walk to the shooting range where Ritsu was practicing with her custom M10 submachine gun along with other soldiers in their respective booths and spectators all around the place. The number of people inside made the two wonder what made the shooting range more interesting. Yui and Tsumugi watched the drummer as she pelted a large wooden board with bullets but the recoil of her submachine gun was quite a nuisance, giving her a hard time shooting the center of the stationary target. After awhile, Ritsu pressed some buttons on a control panel in front of her and new targets appeared one by one.

Yui curiously inspected the small screen displaying numbers that increased every time Ritsu successfully hit a target earlier. Below the screen were buttons with corresponding labels beside them. The point system in the shooting range was quite simple. Points were rated accordingly to the part of where the shots landed, headshots clearly giving the highest point. Difficulty was ranged from Beginner to Extreme, resembling a shooting game in a local arcade. She turned around, seeing her friends and greeted them.

"Did the shooting range turned into an arcade?" The clumsy guitarist questioned.

"Not really, the R&D team added a point system just this morning in every booth to keep track of your accuracy," Ritsu said. "On second thought...yep, pretty much the same with any arcade game. Check the kill house too. I heard they also made some exciting changes in there."

"Oh, looks like fun!" Tsumugi said.

"How about a try?" Ritsu offered, stepping aside to give the keyboardist space for her to shoot. "You can go for the time attack challenge."

"Thank you." Tsumugi said, removing her revolver from its holster. "Uhm, what's a time attack?"

"Just shoot as many targets as you can for a certain amount of time," Ritsu explained then noticed the weapon that Tsumugi will use. "Your revolver, huh? Why not get a semiautomatic pistol? It's much better."

"Nope, this will do," Tsumugi replied while looking at the buttons in the panel. She pressed the button labeled 'Precision Test' and chose 'Extreme Mode' as the difficulty.

"Huh? Are you sure with that?" Ritsu asked, doubting if Tsumugi could manage.

Tsumugi focused for some seconds before raising her revolver to shoulder level. Four stationary targets popped out in the nearest row from the booth. She fired at them one at the time with deadly precision and speed, hitting them all in the head in less than five seconds. Two more targets appeared from both ends of the row, moving towards the center. She quickly nailed the torso of the targets. Knowing that she already used up all of the bullets in her revolver, she loaded new bullets just in time before three new targets showed up. As her attempt to get a high rating continued, some spectators got amazed and intrigued on Tsumugi's firing performance. Targets disappear as fast as they appear. Although the keyboardist herself didn't practice much with her weapons, she could still pull off out of this world tricks. After the time limit and checking her accuracy rating, she turned around to see the astonished faces of the soldiers.

"100% accuracy?" The drummer exclaimed. "In Extreme mode?"

"Wow, Mugi-chan, that's awesome!" Yui commended while eating her stuffed bread.

"I think I have another reason why I should use my revolver." Tsumugi added.

The club's keyboardist took a deep breath and aimed at the side wall of the shooting area, which made everyone confused. She fired a round from her Peacemaker revolver and the magic happened. The bullet ricocheted on the wall, redirecting it straight to the head's target. Yui dropped her stuffed bread in amazement while Ritsu demanded for another shot, thinking that the blonde girl just got lucky. The keyboardist willingly fired another round on the wall, hitting another target farther than the first one. The soldiers around froze and almost dropped their jaws to the floor upon seeing the performance.

"Oh, it really worked! I've been wanting to try doing that." Tsumugi delightly giggled.

"How the hell did you do that?" Ritsu asked with eyes wide open.

"Practice, I guess..." Tsumugi wondered herself how she did that but didn't put much thought about it.

The spectators got very excited and requested the keyboardist to compete with some of the best sharpshooters who happened to be there as well. She happily accepted the challenge to try her luck while Ritsu participated in the match. Others suggested trying the new system in the kill house. With the increasing crowd inside the shooting range, the guitarist decided to move on her own since her friends had something to do on their own. After some minutes of walking around, she ended up in Metal Gear ZEKE's hangar.

There were a few personnel of the R&D team together with Dr. Strangelove, designer of the bipedal tank's AI. She saw a large cylindrical pod in their workplace with numerous cables attached to it. A high-end computer was placed beside the pod where the AI specialist was working, probably connected to the pod. The R&D team were always a busy bunch, working even everybody else were taking their day off.

"Oh...Yui Hirasawa, was it?" The doctor asked after recognizing Yui's presence. The guitarist nervously nodded in response since she rarely had the chance to converse with the scientist."I've heard you girls are doing well. I'm really impressed."

"What is that thing?" The brunette asked, pointing at the peculiar tube.

"That is ZEKE's AI pod. Just doing some modifications."

"Modifications?"

"ZEKE can now produce speech of her own like Peace Walker and respond to questions autonomously. If you can recall your last simulation with ZEKE, she could only repeat recorded messages depending on the circumstances." Dr. Strangelove explained. "The AI's speech system develops the more you interact with it, similar to a human being, although everything else will remain the same. We've been working almost a month for this new function after gathering necessary parts provided by Miller."

Yui gave her a blank stare for some seconds, not sure what it meant or what to respond. She could only hear such things in science fiction stories and the like and she didn't want to trouble herself thinking about it. An AI that could actually respond or react to a human seemed impossible to hear. The doctor fixed her glasses before continuing. "How about a chat with ZEKE? She could use a friend like you."

"What is it, doctor?" A feminine voice spoke after hearing her name. "Do you need something?"

"Woah, it sure does talk!" Yui almost fell from her seat in surprise. "Hmm...ZEKE is a girl?"

"Yes. I've already discussed about that with Huey and the others, whether the AI should be a male or female," The doctor replied. "It's just a small problem to begin with actually."

"I'm Hirasawa Yui, nice to meet you!" Yui introduced herself as if meeting for the first time. "Sorry for calling you stupid in our last training."

"I have no recording of such simulation with a participant named Hirasawa Yui. I'm sorry," ZEKE replied monotonously. "Wait...what do you mean by stupid?"

"...Stupid?" The perplexed scientist asked. "Did I miss something important somewhere?"

"No...uhm, it's nothing," Yui quickly responded. "Maybe it's just déjà vu ..."

"Since you're the vocalist of your band, why not teach ZEKE some of your songs?" The doctor suggested.

"ZEKE can sing too? Wow!"

A person in a lab coat approached the Dr. Strangelove with a couple of research papers in hand. After showing the data to the doctor, she stood up from her seat and turned to Yui. "I'll leave you two for a bit." The two went to the corridor in their right while conversing about something. Without anything to do, the carefree guitarist spent the next hour chatting and singing with the bipedal tank's AI. At first, it was a bit strange talking with a machine infused with human intelligence but she eventually forgot about that detail as she herself got intrigued on what ZEKE could say about everything.

Ritsu and Tsumugi got inside the hangar themselves after asking other soldiers around about where Yui went. They froze for some second when they saw they saw her talking to the pod. The two thought that their friend finally lost her grasp to reality.

"Yui? We've been looking for you!" Ritsu exclaimed. "And why on earth are you talking with that large container?"

"Ricchan! Mugi-chan!" The guitarist greeted as she waved a hand to them. "I'm teaching ZEKE how to sing!"

"Oh my...are you feeling okay, Yui-chan?" Tsumugi worriedly asked. "We'll bring you to the sickbay, just tell us."

"No, really! ZEKE can talk now!"

Ritsu whispered to the keyboardist, "It's worse than I thought. Do you think she's hallucinating or something?"

"Maybe she just ate too much this morning," Tsumugi replied with a frown, remembering the food Yui ordered earlier.

The two agreed to bring Yui up to the deck of the hangar to have some fresh air. Ritsu dragged the guitarist away from her seat to the exit. "...Wait! Sorry ZEKE, maybe some other time!" Yui called to the AI pod.

* * *

Returning back to the Mess Hall for lunch, they noticed a large crowd forming inside. Apparently, the mess hall team arranged an eating contest out of the blue. Yui squealed in delight as she saw countless slices of cake to be fed to the contestants.

"What's with these events all of the sudden?" Ritsu asked. "Why the hell is it have to be a cake eating contest? What are we doing here again?"

"Oh, I heard some of my friends in the Mess Hall team that they will organize something like this." Tsumugi recalled. "The last contest was all curry, right?"

Ritsu turned to the guitarist who was now drooling to taste the cakes displayed. "Yui, don't tell me..."

"Of course! This is my chance to eat those foreign cakes I never tasted before!"

"Mugi-chan's cakes are imported too!" Ritsu stated while the keyboardist just giggled. "It's no good; she's not even listening..."

"Where do I sign up?" Yui asked one of the soldiers from the crowd. The soldier pointed at the booth with the ornithologist, Cecile behind it who was accepting participants and answering inquiries about the contest. Yui quickly sprinted towards the blonde Parisian woman to join the contest.

"Good afternoon, Yui." The bird watcher greeted with a smile. "I haven't seen you in awhile."

"Ceci-chan! I want to enter the contest!" Yui said as she tried to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry, Yui. I'm afraid you can't join this time..." Cecile informed with a disappointed look. Yui took a step back upon hearing it.

"EEH? Why not?"

"Looking from the records, you've already won three consecutive eating contest since you arrived here in Mother Base."

"NOOO!" Yui fell to the floor in despair and almost about to cry. "It's not fair!"

"You heard her Yui, let's just watch." Ritsu placed a hand on the shoulder of the guitarist.

Tsumugi comforted the guitarist. "Don't worry, Yui-chan. We could get a cake for us to eat later. For now, let's eat lunch, okay?"

"Really? Yay! Thank you, Mugi-chan!"

Ritsu turned to the ornithologist. "She didn't really care if she could win the contest or not as long as she could eat something tasty."

"You think so?" Cecile smiled. "Hmm...how come she doesn't gain weight?"

"Uh, well...there are some things that must remain undiscovered..."

"Which reminds me, I need to get a taste of the barbecue Raven was talking about!" The guitarist quickly stood up and raced to the exit. "Forget about watching!"

"There she goes..." Ritsu sighed. "Hey let's eat lunch first!"

"Oh...right..."

They saw Raven's group cleaning up their area behind the quarters. Luckily, they still had a few more barbecues left after their recipe being a great hit for the soldiers who caught scent of the barbecue and took the chance of trying one. Upon seeing the group, they handed over the barbecues placed on sticks with grilled vegetables which served as colorful decoration in between the portions of the meat and asked the girls opinion about the taste. The meat was tender and full of flavor. It appeared to be marinated in a special sauce with different Latin American herbs and spices which gave it a faint spicy aftertaste.

"I think we should really have this one in the menu next time," Ritsu said after taking a taste from the barbecue. "This would be great with rice!"

"Yup!" The guitarist followed, almost done eating her own barbecue. "Although I'm not that fond of spicy food."

"Hmm...I think it still need more time to perfect this one. Anyways, I appreciate your responses," Raven pondered as she continued her cleaning.

"Is that...Azu-nyan?" Yui asked, recognizing someone fishing not far from them.

The group saw Azusa sitting on the edge of the platform nearby with a fishing rod in hand. Apparently, she got herself involved in fishing one time which turned out to be a relaxing pastime for her inside Mother Base. Nuke was also beside her, taking an afternoon nap. Yui called her from the distance. The pigtailed girl turned her head to acknowledge her senpai. To her surprise, Yui was running towards her with great speed, about give her a hug.

"Yui-senpai! Don't!" Azusa cried, realizing that one false move will surely made her plunge into the sea and her senpai will be likely the trigger. Fortunately, Yui stopped midway, probably recognize what could have happened if she continued. Ritsu and Tsumugi followed. The pigtailed guitarist sighed in relief.

"Looks like you're pretty much prepared than before, eh?" Ritsu noticed the fishing equipments Azusa brought with her.

Azusa showed them some kind of toolbox containing different kinds of floats, lures and other things anglers used. She also had an extra fishing rod.

"Oh, is that a tackle box? Where did you get one?" Tsumugi asked.

"Some soldiers who were fond of fishing gave me one," Azusa replied as she started to reel the line.

"Hmm...I want to try fishing too!" The carefree guitarist announced, pumping a fist to the air.

The drummer raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"Of course, to grill one!"

"Typical, Hirasawa Yui."

"What do you expect me to do, Tainaka Ritsu?"

"Alright...you can use my extra fishing rod." Azusa handed over her extra fishing rod to Yui. She also allowed her to look for a bait that she liked in the tackle box. In that time, Azusa didn't have any live bait with her. They also have to collect worms and other suitable baits from the mainland, which was quite troublesome.

"This is funny!" Yui squealed as she showed them a frog lure fitted with double sharp hooks after chosing from the fair variety of lures. The pigtailed girl attached the lure at the end of her senior's fishing line. Afterwards, Yui finally casted her fishing line into the water below and patiently waited for a bite for the next minutes.

"Why use a frog as a lure? That's pretty stupid if you ask me," said Ritsu drowsily, staring at the water below. "No fish would eat a frog, especially a fake one."

"Eh? Should I use a different one then?" Yui asked as she turned her head to the drummer. She already waited almost half an hour and there was no single bite from the rod's hook since she casted her fishing line.

"It's up to you but patience is the game when it comes to fishing, Yui-chan," advised Tsumugi with her usual smile.

"Okay, maybe I should try something more edible to fish..."

The moment Yui decided to wind the reel's handle to swap lures when she felt a tug. Assuming that she caught one, Yui happily reeled the fish in but suddenly, the fish fought back and pulled her with great strength . The others helped the determined guitarist to prevent her from falling on the deck's edge. The fish's shadow appeared to be larger than any other fish in the world which made them nervous.

"What the hell is that?" Ritsu exclaimed. "It's like a whale or something!"

"Whatever it is, we can't catch a fish like that!" Azusa panicked.

"Let go of it, Yui-chan!" Tsumugi cried while pulling the guitarist's waist. "We'll fall together if we keep this up!"

The group decided to surrender in the tug of war and Yui released the fishing rod from her hands. The rod went straight to the sea below."There goes my new fishing rod..." Azusa whispered disappointingly.

"I can't believe that monster actually existed!" A voice exclaimed beside them, leaning on the edge of the deck to have a better view on the 'fish'.

Azusa almost jumped out of the platform in her surprise. "Chico? Where did you..."

"Don't just pop up out of nowhere!" Ritsu smacked the head of the UMA enthusiast who was gleaming with unparalleled joy.

"It's a Plesioth I tell you!" Chico excitingly said, as if he didn't feel anything from the drummer's punishment. "According to reports about this piscine wyvern, you could lure them out of the water using frogs. They like frogs after all."

The confused keyboardist asked, "A...plesioth?"

"Come on Chico, it might be a large shark or a whale," Ritsu said skeptically. "On second thought...it might be something else..."

"I'm positive that it's a monster! Plesioth that I mentioned was supposed to be living near Isla del Monstruo, it can walk on land too!"

"A fish that can walk? I'm totally lost! Do you think we would believe that?" Ritsu exclaimed.

"Of course you won't believe me! You might forgot that we're talking about MONSTERS here!" Chico answered back.

"Chico-kun, is that fish edible?" Yui curiously asked, cutting the tension between the drummer and the UMA enthusiast. "I want to catch one and turn it to sushi!"

"Well...I dunno about that," Chico replied softly, trying to remember if the said monster was edible. "But I really want to visit the island as soon as possible..."

"What kind of island is that?" Azusa asked as well. "Err...Judging from the name itself..."

"It is home for different kinds of monsters! Big Boss promised that we will go together if he have the time," Chico explained. "Hmm...you guys want to accompany me to the island?"

"Interesting," Tsumugi responded, quite fascinated about UMAs in the island.

"Uh...we will think about it," Azusa said, although trying to forget what they saw earlier.

"Yeah! We will catch that giant fish thingy, bring it back here, then turn it to..."

"You already said that part, Yui," Ritsu interrupted.

"Hey, Chico-kun, did you saw Mio-chan around?" Yui suddenly asked.

"Ms. Akiyama? She entered the book compendium as I was about to go out after reading a new book about UMAs," Chico replied.

"Wait...Mother Base has a...library?"

"Are you...with us?" Ritsu seriously stared at the guitarist for some seconds before she turned to the others. "Should we fetch her?"

"Oh, I need to get back to the mess hall," Tsumugi said. "I promised to help them for the dinner tonight..."

"Really? How about you Azusa?"

"I got to return these first..." Azusa lifted the tackle box and grabbed her rod. "It looks like I'm going to save money again for a new fishing rod..."

Ritsu turned to their lead guitarist and said, "Yui, let's go to the library."

"You haven't asked my plans for this time!"

"Well, it's pretty obvious that you'll just have your usual siesta in our room..."

"Good point."

They went to the book compendium situated behind the R&D lab. The idea of making a library inside Mother Base was suggested by Big Boss himself. Since there weren't much to do inside the base besides from training and the like, he decided to have a library for those who read as their pastime and a good source of useful information as well. Mio usually spent her free time in the place since it was made last week.

"Mio-chan! Are you here?" Yui forcefully slid the door open, surprising everyone peacefully reading inside the room. Mio shyly raised her hand as acknowledgement.

"Yay! Mio-chan, how are you doing?"

Ritsu whispered as she pulled the arm of the guitarist, "Idiot, this is a library!"

"Oh, sorry."

"Er...reading?" Mio replied. "Ritsu, I'm quite surprised you have the attention span to visit the library this time on your own."

"Ow, that's a direct hit! You don't have to be so harsh!"

"Keep it down please?" The soldier said beside Mio's table. As soon as he glanced at the person creating the disturbance, thunderclouds started to form in his head. "You again?"

"Eh? I didn't do anything yet," Yui nervously replied as she slowly took a couple of steps back. The soldier returned back to his book which made her quite relieved. She turned to Mio who was focused reading her own book. Ritsu went to thebookshelves, finding an interesting book of her own.

"Mio-chan, what are you reading?" Yui softly asked as she sat beside the bassist, avoiding any unnecessary noise. "Is it good or interesting?"

"A book about Immanuel Kant's Metaphysics of Ethics," Mio softly replied. "I somewhat got interested on this one after reading the novel Cecile recommended to me..."

"Oooh, philosophy, huh?..." The guitarist said while opening a pack of potato chips. "That's nice."

"I stumbled on this one earlier when finding some other good books to read and..." Mio paused and stared at the guitarist for some seconds, quite surprised that Yui recognized what she was reading. "Oh, you know him?"

"Nope...or maybe...I don't know..." Yui scratched her head as she tried to dig something in her head about the philosopher but to no avail. "It's weird that I knew that it's about..."

"Yui, you definitely got more weirder since we came in this base."

"I dunno. I'm still myself, Mio-chan."

"Déjà vu, eh? That happens to me a lot..." A voice joined in the conversation, carrying books stacked together. Yui and Mio turned to see a familiar soldier they got to work with once, and they themselves were the ones who persuaded him to join the military group.

"Mustang? Why are you here?" The guitarist asked, tilting her head to her right.

"Can't you see? I'm in charge in here today." The soldier coldly replied, returning the books to the shelf behind the two. "By the way, no eating inside. I'll get reprimanded again."

Yui raised a piece of potato chips in front of her. "Aww...want some instead?"

"I'm pretty sure you heard what I said just now."

"Hey, I thought you won't join MSF." The drummer asked as Mustang arranged the books in order.

"Huh? What'd you expect? I already defected the moment I helped you guys. Besides, living in here was far more better than I expected."

"Well, that's one good point..."

"If you have no business here, I ask you to leave now."

After dinner, the group had their usual tea time in their room in the living quarters while playing Monopoly. They heard someone knocking at the door and Yui opened it, revealing the legendary Big Boss himself.

"A-Ah...Do you need something, Boss?" Yui stammered, surprised as the commander of MSF personally visited them in their room.

"May I talk with you girls for a minute or two?" He asked in a low voice.

"Oh, sure Boss!" Yui replied.

"Hmm...call me Snake for the meantime."

He sat in one of the lounge chairs in the room. "I wanted to know if you girls are doing well inside the base. This place is definitely not for all of you," Snake said with a hint of worry in his voice, concerned about the club being stuck in an offshore fortress with nothing much to do for high school girls like them.

"Well...we are enjoying every second of it!" Tsumugi happily responded.

"Not all of it though," Mio muttered, thinking about their previous operations.

"How long have we been here when we first enlisted? It seemed like it was just yesterday," Ritsu asked, remembering all that the club did in their stay in the base.

"Now that you mentioned it..." There was an unnerving silence afterwards, analyzing what the club president just said. They were inside Mother Base for quite some time and busy working with the military organization.

"Shouldn't we go back to Japan now?" Azusa exclaimed with eyes widened. "Summer break is already over!"

The eye patched man smiled before answering, "I thought you'd figure that out by yourselves. I could sense that you don't belong in this time."

"W-Why didn't I think of that? The Cold War, the nuclear arms and space race...w-what in the world is happening now is..." Mio stammered as she remembered events that already happened in the world before. Now, they were actually experiencing it in real time rather than reading it out of history textbooks.

"Eh? What are you, a psychic?" Ritsu asked, quite amused. "I guess they won't call you Big Boss for nothing..."

"I couldn't do anything about this problem either..."

"You're not helping us return to Japan?" Azusa worriedly asked.

"Well...one thing for sure. If you will return back to your country, things won't be the same from where you originally from."

"That means..."

"Yes, there's no home or loved ones waiting for you in this time. It's only natural, I suppose."

Upon hearing that they couldn't return to their respective homes, Mio burst out crying while the others stared at Snake blankly, not sure what to respond or what should they do next.

"I can't believe everything went backwards," said Mio in a trembling voice. "What should we do?"

The drummer sighed and shrugged. "Well...if we ever got stuck here forever...its not a bad idea too."

"Ritsu-senpai? You're crazy!"

"I figured. This is a crazy world we're living in. Already seen ghosts, gigantic walking tanks armed with nuclear missiles, weird people, and fire-breathing dragons."

Ritsu asked, "Are you sure that this is not some kind of fantasy land?"

"I doubt that."

"This is worse than I thought. But to think of it, there's definitely a way back if we happen to end up here!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Actually, I don't know specifically, but we just need to find someone or something that might give us a trip back to our time! Another mystery for us to solve while combating renegade soldiers with MSF!"

Azusa rolled her eyes and muttered, "Too much video games again, Ritsu-senpai."

"I'm going now. If I found something that could help you, I'll tell you right away." The commander stood up from his seat and went towards the door. "For the meantime, make yourselves comfortable inside the base. Talk to me anytime if you feel like it."

"Aw...going already?" asked Yui.

"Hm? What's with that face?"

"Stay with us for a minute and tell stories!"

"Maybe next time. There's a lot of thing to be fixed here."


	10. Mercenary Showdown!

**Disclaimer: [Here]**

A/N: Is Himeko (Tachibana) a brunette or a blond? I can't tell with my eyes...(she's somehow more of a brunette, but somehow close to dishwater blonde?) xD

Enjoy !

**

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Musique Sans Frontieres

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**

"We've been walking all day and still no sign of those mercenaries!" Ritsu complained while they wandered around the forest somewhere in Costa Rica to pursue an elite mercenary group who was supposedly responsible of attacking MSF's former base in the Barranquilla Coast in Northern Colombia. The soldiers in the said base were wiped out in existence in just a few minutes. Also, the unit that the deputy commander dispatched earlier was feared to be missing as they were not responding in the transmission.

The sky was already dyed orange and soon it will be more harder for them to track their targets during the night. The fearsome group was lead by a versatile commander who was an excellent strategist in the battlefield and known to use nifty guerrilla tactics as well. The last transmission Mother Base received from the outpost was not too long ago and the deputy commander dispatched the light music club to make a further investigation about what happened, hoping that he did a right decision sending the girls into another mess.

"Yui-senpai, you're eating nonstop since we came here..." Azusa noticed.

"Azu-nyan, being a soldier means being prepared!" Yui firmly defended, showing a piece of tortilla chip to the pigtailed guitarist. "You don't know when hunger strikes!"

"I think you misunderstood that..."

"You only say something decent when it comes to food." Ritsu replied.

"Miller-san, did you found anything about the mercenary group?" Tsumugi asked through the radio.

"So far, they were dispatched in Costa Rica to clean up some of our outpost for someone else. I have also received reports of activities in the abandoned bases of the Peace Sentinels which was somewhat odd. I'm afraid that we're dealing with the KGB here..." Kaz informed. "The CIA won't easily give in, I'm sure that they're still sending some units around there too."

"How about the others? Any news about them?" Ritsu asked.

"They should've reported something by now..." Miller said, getting impatient for an update about the other unit's status and progress.

"Wait...something's up ahead..." Mio informed in a low voice.

"What is it?" Ritsu asked.

Not far ahead of them was a large rectangular table with an expensive-looking tea set on top of it. The cups were already filled with soothing tea and there were also cookies and madeleines on a plate. They confusedly looked at each other in the peculiar display, as if inviting them to have tea time with someone else, yet there was no one to be seen around the area.

"Oh my, what a fancy-looking tea set." Tsumugi said, quite fascinated on the tea set.

"Is it a trap?" Mio asked.

"Well, one thing's for sure: that's a pretty dumb trap. Who would fell for that one?" Ritsu pointed out.

"Yay! Tea party!" Yui rushed out from their hiding place to the table, disregarding the dangers thatshe might step on.

"Oh, crap! Get your ditzy head back here!" Ritsu shouted.

"Ricchan, everything's fine!" Yui assured. "Are you guys coming or not?"

The others decided to cautiously follow with weapons at the ready. Upon reaching the table, they tensely looked around the area for potential assaults. They could only hear the rustling of the leaves and chirping of the birds above. Ritsu knocked the guitarist's head for her carelessness.

"See? Nothing to worry about." Yui said with confidence while rubbing her sore head. She looked at the snacks left by someone else. She picked a cup of tea and felt that the food was newly made. "The tea is still warm!"

"Now, I'm starting to feel that this is really a trap..." Azusa said. "It looks like they left these foods on purpose."

"Ehhh? You're imagining things, Azu-nyan." Yui said then she took a sip from her tea.

"How's is it, Yui?" Ritsu asked.

"It's good! Try it!" Yui responded giddily. "I want to try the cake now!"

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to try. Besides, we haven't eaten in the last few hours." Ritsu held a cup of steaming tea. Unexpectedly, Yui collapsed to the ground unconscious. Everyone panicked as they rushed to aid the guitarist.

"Y-Yui-senpai, w-what happened? Are you okay?" Azusa tensely asked, shaking Yui's shoulder. "Maybe the tea has some kind of drug in it!"

"She seems fine, she's just sleeping..." Tsumugi calmly said.

"I knew that this was a trap..." Mio nervously said to herself, shifting her vision to the trees around them. She drew her combat revolver as she sensed that someone was patiently watching them, especially her.

"I got a bad feeling about this..." Ritsu whispered.

"It's about time..." A frightening female voice echoed in the woods, making them jump in astonishment. They gulped down in distress as they looked around them to find the voice's source. "I knew you girls would never resist tea time!"

"Who the hell are you?" Ritsu asked, drawing her dual submachineguns. "Better show yourself this instance!"

"Hm? What are you going to do, Ricchan? Throw drumsticks at me?" The voice taunted. Ritsu was dumbstruck upon hearing her name from someone she didn't know. "You girls should be practicing your instruments instead!"

"How did she-"

"Well, I only need someone from you to test my creations! I just know the perfect person for the job..." The voice continued. Soldiers wearing ghillie suits appeared from their hiding places with their weapons aimed at the girls. The ambush kept them frozen in their place, not sure if they had the time to retaliate at their enemies.

"Neutralize them!"

The moment the order was given, consecutive gunfires started to fill the whole place. Without anyplace to take cover with, they left themselves open to the sudden barrage of projectiles, making them realize that it might be the end for them. Mio and the others dropped to the forest floor one by one, hopeless and unable to fight back.

"Damnit! Please respond! What the hell happened there?" The deputy commander exclaimed in panic as he heard the gunshots and suddenly, everything became quiet after a minute.

"It never crossed my mind seeing them as a member of that military group. Anyways, I'm borrowing her for awhile."

"Do you know these girls?"

"Yes and no. We should head back, our business is done here."

"Then, why do you need to bring one..."

"Not another word from you or I'll..."

"Sorry, ma'am!"

"T-Tranquilizers? I thought we're done for." Ritsu weakly whispered to herself as she slowly opened her eyes. She sat up in a dazed state and checked the others. "Everyone okay?"

"I'm fine...but quite dizzy though..." Tsumugi responded. Azusa just got up and gave an assurable nod to the drummer. Yui was awake as well, already munching on the cake earlier."

"Don't worry, Azu-nyan, the cake is safe to eat!"

Ritsu decided to contact the deputy commander from Mother Base. "Miller? Can you hear me?"

After hearing the drummer's voice, Kaz sighed in relief as he thought something terrible happened to the girls and might be much far more worse could happen to him when the news reached the commander himself. "Thank goodness, that took you almost an hour to respond. What's your status?"

"We've dozed off. Those were pretty strong tranquilizers; it took us out in a few seconds."

"You got me worried guys..."

"Mio? What about..." Ritsu looked around to find the club's bassist, but she was nowhere to be found. "This is no joke, Mio! Where are you?"

"W-What's wrong?" The deputy commander asked.

"It's no good Miller-san, they...kidnapped Mio..." Tsumugi informed as she sobbed solemnly.

"M-Mio-chan..." Yui sniffled. "W-What are they going to do with her?"

"Argh, how could we get so careless?" Ritsu slammed the ground with her fist. "More importantly, how in the world that someone would knew that we have tea time all along? "I'm guessing that we got ourselves a spy inside Mother Base.""

"A-A spy?" Azusa blared. "But that's..."

"We managed to track them down. They have a small base south of your location, near a river." Kaz informed. "If things get worst, A backup team is ready to..."

"No worries, we could manage."

Azusa rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. "You're acting the leader again, Ritsu-senpai..."

"Well, do we have other choice? Commander Idiot sent us out here in the first place!"

"So, you're blaming me now, huh?" Kaz answered back.

"Hush! We're going to save Mio-chan, no matter what!" Tsumugi cut in, filled with determination to save the bassist.

"Okay, your call. Anyways, the boss would definitely kill me if you girls returned here without Mio." Kaz sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "It's kinda odd that they didn't kill you girls. From what I've heard, they slaughter anyone who stands between them and their mission."

"Great, they got us stripped our gear and weapons." Ritsu angrily stated. "But luckily, we still have our radios and fulton recovery kits."

"Ha! I still have my backpack with me!" Yui said. Ritsu gleamed with high hopes as she snatched the backpack from Yui's hands. "How come they didn't take yours?"

"I dunno..."

"Let's see what we could use here..." Ritsu stopped for some seconds before she asked the guitarist. "Yui, what's this?"

"That, Ricchan, is my backpack."

"No, I mean, what the hell are you bringing all the time?" Ritsu asked, showing the cluttered contents of the bag.

"Oh, that's my emergency food supply in case of situations like these. The usual special curry from Mother Base and some other snacks."

"Idiot? What are we going to do here, going on a picnic or something?" Ritsu exclaimed as she threw the backpack .

"...Huh? It...It's missing?"

"What's missing?"

"My chocolate bar!"

"Please, shut your mouth until we finish this mission. Who gives a damn about your snacks! We need to rescue Mio!"

"Then, we could finally use our on-site procurement training." Tsumugi said as she gave a wink to the drummer, ready to move out.

"Hell with that...I'd rather sleeping at our room now."

They continued their way to subdue the mercenary group without their gear. Their decision of pushing onwards empty-handed was somewhat tantamount to suicide. Following Kaz's instructions, they proceeded south of their current location to the enemy encampment where the mercenary group was probably stationed.

"R-Russian soldiers?" Azusa whispered as she recognized the soldier's uniform. "Your suspicions are right, Miller-san."

"KGB, huh?" Ritsu followed. "Whoever they are, I can kick their stupid..."

"There you go again, Ritsu-senpai..."

"Remember, avoid being detected as much as possible. Without your gear, it will be much harder for you to fend off enemy attacks." Kaz advised.

"Just shup up will ya? We know that." Ritsu replied.

"Mugi-senpai, are you okay?" Azusa worriedly asked as she noticed the keyboardist quite anxious.

"That voice...it sounds familiar..." Tsumugi muttered, gazing at the night sky.

"Do you know something Mugi-senpai?"

"Oh, nothing. We should find the mercenary group encampment before they could do something to Mio."

They took cover in a cargo truck parked nearby and saw two patrol soldiers having a chat with each other. "Hmm...the one in the left has a combat shotgun, similar to Yui's. The other's an assault rifle. "Ritsu noticed. "I bet they can kill us in seconds in a front assault."

"Let's take this chance now." Tsumugi whispered to the group.

"We don't have weapons..." Azusa pointed out.

"I got a plan!" Yui proudly announced as she held the banana from her backpack up high.

"A...banana?" Tsumugi curiously asked.

"Yui-senpai, this is no time for jokes!"

"Azu-nyan! I'll show you the power of the banana!" Yui turned to the pigtailed guitarist and held the fruit as if it were a gun. "PEW PEW PEW!"

Ritsu knocked some sense out of Yui, reminding her about their important mission. "Quit playing around. Are you forgetting that they got Mio?"

"I know, that's why this banana will help us on our way to her!"

Following Yui's plan, Ritsu picked a medium-sized rock on the ground. The drummer threw the rock straight to one of the soldiers, hitting his helmet-protected head. The soldier staggered a bit after the blow then exclaimed in pain. "Okay, who the hell did that?"

"Something wrong?" His companion asked.

"Are you blind? Someone just threw a damn rock at me!"

"Then check it out, don't blame me for that!"

The enraged soldier went to the source behind the parked truck. "Nothing here..." He muttered then turned his back to return to his post.

"Don't move..." Yui whispered behind the unfortunate soldier with her 'weapon' acting as an illusory deterrent. The soldier helplessly complied while Tsumugi restrained him and confiscated his weapons.

"Err, Ricchan...what should we do next?" Yui asked.

"What's with that question all of the sudden?"

"I never thought that we reached this far. This means my plan worked perfectly!"

"Ack...w-what do you want?"

"Where did you took Mio-chan? Answer me!"

"Who the hell is this Mio-chan?"

"Okay then, are you the one who took my choco..."

"Yui-chan, let me handle this..." Tsumugi interrupted then turned to the soldier. "Did you happen to see a captured female soldier about our age and wearing the same fatigues like us?"

"Nope, but our commander was babbling about her new model for her costumes earlier. I don't wanna hear more about it either."

"Where's your commander hiding then?"

"What if..."

"Please cooperate, you don't want to know the consequence." Tsumugi said as she played the knife she got from the previous soldier. "We need to rescue our friend as fast as we could."

"U-Uh...see that cottage over there? That's the office of our commander."

"Let's see...A cottage, huh?" Ritsu said as she looked around to find the said building.

"T-That cottage?" Mio pointed at the large vacation home, not fitting to be inside a military encampment. "How come there's something like that here?"

"...She's abusing her authority, that's why." The soldier added.

"Maybe you should apply as an interrogation specialist, Mugi-senpai." Azusa said.

"Really?"

"What are you doing, Ritsu-senpai?" Azusa asked as the drummer was busy attaching a fulton recovery kit to the restrained soldier.

"We can't just leave him here y'know?" Ritsu replied then gave a mischievous smile to the soldier.

"All done...you're on your own now! Say hi to the birds for me."

"W-What the hell is thiiisss?" The soldier exclaimed as he was quickly drifted to the sky by the helium balloon.

"Huh? What's that?" The other soldier asked himself while watching his comrade taken above. This gave an opportunity for Ritsu to tackle the soldier. The disoriented soldier struggled to recover but was totally overwhelmed when Azusa pointed an AK47 assault rifle, preventing him from doing any offensive actions. Tsumugi got a M1911A1 pistol and Yui got a SPAS-12 shotgun from the soldier.

They entered the vacation house and searched for the whereabouts of their friend. The building wasn't guarded inside, making it much easier for them. Not long after, they heard a voice coming from a room at the end of the hallway with its door slightly open. They peeked inside to find two persons inside and a large collection of different costumes scattered around the place. Some of the costumes were piled in a corner while others decorated the wooden floor. Their eyes widened as they recognized the unconscious person wearing a cute waitress costume.

"I-Is that M-Mio?" Ritsu stammered. "C-Can someone explain what's happening here?"

"No clue." Azusa replied softly.

"FREEZE!" Tsumugi shouted with her pistol aimed at the female soldier.

"Mugi? We haven't planned yet!" Ritsu uttered.

The soldier unnervingly spoke, her voice reminded the girls of someone close to them. "I didn't think you girls will reach this far."

"I...I can't believe it..." Azusa said in astonishment.

"Sawa-chan?" Yui exclaimed after recognizing the person.

"What? You girls know her?" Kaz asked, astonished himself on what he had heard.

"That took you long to recognize me...I'm quite disappointed, all of that things we spent together..."

"You're the one to talk! " Ritsu answered. "You nearly killed us and even kidnapped Mio!"

"Sawako-sensei, you're working for the KGB?" Azusa asked.

"Thanks to them, my costume collection rapidly increased. I need funds for me to create more elaborate costumes."

"That's it?" Ritsu exclaimed. "You could have worked for MSF instead!"

"I was about to ask the same question. How did you get yourselves inside that military organization?"

"Well, we weren't supposed to join, until Mugi-senpai thought of that idea..." Azusa defended.

"You girls are really have a knack for trouble, huh?" Sawako just sighed. "You should thank me for leaving your fulton kits and radios with you..."

"So, you killed everyone in the base then wait for us to be dispatched in Costa Rica so you could get Mio to test out your costumes? YOU'RE INSANE!" Ritsu burst out as she couldn't comprehend the actions of their club adviser.

"Hey! My unit was not the one who attacked that base, mind you. I even spent my whole day that time drinking tea and reading magazines. Why would I spent my time doing such things?" Sawako answered back. "You might be referring to the other mercenary group hired by the KGB. We're not the only ones, you know?"

"Do you think we would believe that? Why attack us in the first place?"

"It's our job. Any possible threats will be dealt accordingly. I only took the chance of meeting everyone of you, don't put the blame on me."

"Sawa-chan, stop this!" Yui cried with tears on her eyes.

"I wouldn't want to hurt you girls..." Sawako pulled a combat knife from one of her pockets and swiftly threw it to the wall which pierced and held in place upon impact, nearly hitting Yui's face in the process. Yui's eyes widened then fell to the floor as she got nearly nailed by the knife. Sawako stared at them with a mischievous smile when she had a 'brilliant' plan in her mind. "I'll return Mio soon, don't worry."

"You've gone too far, Yamanaka-sensei!" Azusa yelled, aiming her assault rifle to the music teacher. Sawako chuckled as she knew that Azusa will not be able to pull the trigger and kill the person who supported them as their club adviser. Azusa dropped a sweat, her hands shaking as she tried to read what would be the teacher's next move. Even as a teacher, Sawako is still quite a force to be reckoned with, making the girls powerless in times of their nonsense or sudden outbursts of the costumer when she is in a bad mood from work or stress. Only gets worse when she didn't have her usual portion of Tsumugi's snacks.

"Are you willing to challenge a former member of the club?" Sawako dashed forward to the pigtailed guitarist for a preemptive strike with a stun rod in her right hand. "I will test what you have learned so far..."

"Oi, that's our stun rod!" Ritsu noticed.

"No time for that, Ricchan!" Tsumugi said as she parried the incoming attack before Sawako could send more than a million volts to Azusa then aimed her pistol at the teacher's chest. Knowing that her student couldn't shoot a bullet at her, Sawako grabbed the keyboardist's hand with the pistol and about to use the stun rod at her. Tsumugi quickly intercepted and grabbed the wrist of the teacher, twisting it afterwards, making her drop the stun rod in her hands. Sawako contentedly smiled as she wasn't expecting it, also quite impressed on her student's prowess. She threw a fist using her free hand to the keyboardist for a follow-up but was easily evaded.

"Hmm...not bad, Mugi-chan! Not bad at all..."

"Sensei, why are you fighting with the enemy? You're not the gentle teacher we knew!" Tsumugi asked as she tried to tackle the costume enthusiast to the ground. Sawako nimbly dodged the attempt while the keyboardist crashed to the pile of costumes. Ritsu dived to reach the stun rod but she was stomped midway by Sawako. The teacher casted a menacing stare to the others.

"Ack, you'll pay for that!" Ritsu uttered in pain.

"Yamanaka-sensei, if you just want to try your costumes, why not join us instead?" Azusa offered.

"You're making things more complicated!"

"First class food is also served in our base." Tsumugi added while Yui nodded in accordance to what the keyboardist said. "You won't be disappointed."

"Hm...why didn't I think of those things?" Sawako muttered. She shrugged off her second thoughts and made a bargain to her students instead. "How about you girls join us? We could take over the world and you could wear all the costumes I make!"

"Not a chance!" Azusa quickly answered back, pointing her assault rifle to Sawako.

"If they serve better food, I...might..." Yui said hesitantly.

"Don't even think about it, senpai!"

"You girls should've left earlier while you got the chance." Sawako advised while opening a chocolate bar she got from her pocket with her right foot on the back of the drummer. "Unlike me, my comrades won't hesitate to kill anyone, especially that other mercenary group I told you..."

"Eh? That's my chocolate bar!" Yui cried. With not much time to waste, Yui sprinted towards Sawako with astounding speed, snatching the chocolate bar which made Sawako quite stunned.

"How could you, Sawa-chan? You even took my favorite snack too. This is intolerable!"

"What the hell are you saying?" The bewildered costumer asked.

"I'll take care of this..." Azusa swung her assault rifle with all she had to their adviser, knocking her unconscious. Tsumugi did the favor of releasing the unconscious bassist from her seat then checked for her vital signs. "She's okay but I guess she won't be waking up at this moment."

"Miller, chopper for recovery, we're bailing out." Ritsu requested.

"Acknowledge...you're goint to take that teacher of yours back here?"

"Definitely." Tsumugi replied.

"I didn't imagine that Yamanaka-sensei would be defeated that easily." A familiar blonde girl wearing jungle fatigues with a WA2000 sniper rifle on her back entered the room with a couple of heavily-armed soldiers carrying various kinds of weapons.

"H-Himeko-chan?" Yui exclaimed as she took a step back.

"T-Tachibana-san?"

"What's with your reactions? You seemed too surprised to see me." Himeko said in a rather disappointed tone. "I'm the subcommander of our mercenary group made by our sensei."

"Himeko-chan, what are you doing here? Why work with them?" Yui asked.

"Yui, sorry...but orders are orders. We need to restrain all of you..." The blonde haired girl suddenly drew her Makarov pistol from its holster when she felt someone's presence nearby. She intuitively hopped backwards as she was anticipating the incoming round.

"I missed, just as expected. Impressive."

A shadowy figure dashed towards her. Himeko fired a few rounds to the figure but was quickly evaded. The person then knocked the pistol from her hand, making her surprised. The next thing she knew, someone was already behind her with a stun rod in its hands and only a few inches away from her neck. "Drop your weapons, or she'll get a good dose from the stun rod." The man wearing a sneaking suit warned.

"Boss, what are you..."

"Kaz, I'll deal with you later." Snake interrupted. "Let's get out of here first."

"Why am I always in trouble?" Kaz protested.

"Snake, it's good to see you." Azusa said, relieved as the commander himself arrived just in time.

The soldiers threw their weapons to the floor while the girls went outside. Tsumugi carried the club adviser while Ritsu carried their bassist.

"It's quite intriguing why the legendary soldier is helping my classmates to escape." Himeko muttered.

"They're my comrades and I help because I wanted so." Snake replied calmly.

"Snake, you know her?" Azusa curiously asked as they got outside the room.

"I met her one time in the forest." Snake replied. "Her unit almost got me that time."

"Boss, we're clear to move." Ritsu announced while carrying Mio from her back. "Ugh, Mio, you're quite heavy..."

"Please, don't hurt her...she's a good classmate of mine!" Yui pleaded to their commander.

"Her? Classmate? How on earth you guys are getting involved to things like this?" Snake's eyes widened as he scratched his head after releasing Himeko. Before Yui closed the door, Snake immediately tossed a sleep gas grenade inside the room, preventing the soldiers to pursue them in their escape. He looked at the astounded girl for some seconds then he turned his back. "Well, I don't care if you will shoot us now. I won't stop you."

"N-No, I-I want to go with you guys!"

"Himeko-chan!" Yui tightly hugged her. "I knew you'll join us!"

"Wait, aren't we going to find our other weapons first?" Ritsu asked as she tried to keep herself balance.

"They're in the storage room." Himeko informed. "We should hurry, the backup team is about to arrive now..."

Upon getting their respective weapons in the storage room, they went outside the cottage house and took cover in an old warehouse nearby. Yui cleared their path with her custom SPAS-12 loaded with rubber buckshots, effectively knocking out nearby soldiers. Snake used his silenced M16A1 with a grenade launcher attachment to incapacitate the remaining distant soldiers. Himeko decided to help as well with her sniper rifle.

"Yui, you're quite good with a shotgun. Are you replacing your guitar now?" Himeko jested as she replaced the empty magazine in her WA2000.

"No way! Gitah is still my favorite!"

"Just kidding."

"Looks like they're already here..." Snake said as he saw two BTR-60PAs approaching to the camp. He handed over a fulton recovery kit to Himeko. "That's your free ticket to Mother Base for joining."

"Thanks." Himeko said as she attach the harness around her waist.

"Yay! We should celebrate when we get back!"

"Just hope that they won't send attack choppers to shoot us down." Snake said, releasing the self-inflating balloon in his fulton kit. "Let's go home..."


	11. Sisterly Espionage

**Disclaimer: [Here]**

Feels kinda rushed for me, but I hope you'll still read this xD

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**Musique Sans Frontieres**

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One normal afternoon inside Mother Base, Azusa was doing her usual fishing on the deck; so far she didn't have a single fish since she started. She stared at the sky then to the horizon and sensed something was about to happen later, particularly about the weather as the winds became stronger in the last hour. Besides that, there was something still bothering her, as if a bigger problem was approaching. She was occupied in the thought when a fidgety Yui showed up hugging her combat shotgun like she does with her guitar.

"Azu-nyan...help me..." Yui pleaded with teary eyes as she sat beside Azusa.

"A-Ah..."

"Snap out of it, Azu-nyan!" Yui said as she hugged her.

"Huh? Is there something wrong, senpai?"

"I feel like...I'm being watched by someone..."

"D-Don't you mean...like a stalker?" Azusa uttered in surprise, almost dropping her fishing rod. "A-A s-stalker..."

"Ssshh! Not too loud!"

"Ah...Yui-senpai, is there anything..."

"It's been more than a week now...and...I can't live like this!"

"...More than a week?"

"Although Mio-chan is the only girl inside Mother Base that has a fanclub, I won't be surprised if someone would actually take interest in you." Sawako said, appearing out of nowhere.

"Sensei? D-Don't show up like that! You're ruining the mood here!"

"Hm? I did some arrangements with that blonde Parisienne about costumes for future events. Something wrong?"

"Nothing sensei...you just scared me..." Azusa replied softly. "Wait...I didn't ask what you did earlier..."

"Well, about Yui's problem; it can't be helped. We just need to be more cautious."

"Uh...Yui-senpai, why do you have that thing with you?" Azusa asked, pointing at Yui's custom combat shotgun.

"Oh...you mean Pasu-chan? She's the one who will act as my very own, personal deterrent!" Yui replied.

"She'll blast them flying with rubber slugs!"

"Y'know, even if you use rubber shots, you could still kill a person, especially if aimed at a vital part." Sawako explained.

"I knew you'll gave it a name someday..." Azusa remarked then thought of something about the shotgun's name. "Wait, you named your guitar 'Gitah' which is very straightforward. Where the heck Pasu came from?"

"Pasu...SPAS..."

"Oh...that's..." Azusa uttered; somehow confused on the shotgun's bizarre name. "Wait, SPAS is an acronym, right?"

"Maybe I should change it to Pasu-nyan instead?"

"No way!" Azusa quickly turned down the suggestion of her senpai. "Go on with Pasu-chan."

"Hmm...I could see that you girls have your weapon of choice, eh?"

"Yes. How about you, sensei?"

"Well, in action movies, I do love EXPLOSIONS; lot's of them. So, I prefer rocket launcher much. If I'm not holding one, you'll see me holding something that spews out hundreds of rounds per minute."

"Oh, hello everyone. What's up?" A voice greeted them from behind.

"GET AWAY!" Yui cried, quickly turned to the person and fired a shot from her shotgun. She opened her eyes to see Ritsu squirming in pain on the floor and a flabbergasted Azusa.

"Yui-senpai...you fired at Ritsu-senpai in point-blank range? What were you thinking!" Azusa rushed to help Ritsu.

"You...idiot!" Ritsu uttered before she lose consciousness.

"...Private Ricchan, signal lost."

"Wow, that's gotta hurt...a lot..." Sawako said. "Well...I gotta go now."

"Wait, you're leaving us?" Azusa asked in surprise then the moment she turned her head around, Sawako was nowhere to be found. "SENSEI!"

With the help of nearby soldiers, they immediately sent the drummer to the sickbay. They waited for a few minutes while an on-duty doctor checked Ritsu's condition.

"She had a large bruise in the abdominal area due to the strong impact, considering that you discharged a rubber slug at point-blank range. Thank God that you didn't used a more lethal one."

"P-Please...you don't have to repeat what happened earlier..." Yui pleaded with tears overflowing on her eyes.

"Yui-senpai..."

"H-Honestly, it was all just an accident!"

"You don't have to worry so much, she's unconscious, but she's safe from harm." The doctor said, alleviating the grief of the ditzy guitarist.

"That's a relief...thank you." Yui said then she turned to Azusa with her usual smiling face. "Want to do something else, Azu-nyan?"

"You recover that quickly?"

"I think I'm going to cry again..."

"I-I dunno..." Azusa quickly replied. "More importantly, where's Sawako-sensei? She's just here..."

"Let's get some snacks in the mess hall!" Yui said while pulling Azusa's hand.

"We just ate lunch!" Azusa protested.

"Isn't that great?"

"...If that will make you happy, then, okay."

"Oh...let's visit the next best thing then!"

They got out of the sickbay and noticed some changes in the sky, which was now turning darker as time passes. Yui suggested to visit Mother Base's greenhouse, where almost all of the cultivated crops were grown and harvested for the soldier's disposal. Apparently, she sometimes helped the personnel working in the area when got nothing to do and receive fresh fruits as payment. She does it when got nothing to do and eventually got accustomed to the activity of hers.

It was quite unexpected for Outer Heaven to build an additional plant for plant cultivation. Although, they had a separate operating base in Costa Rica which had a similar function, but the base was subject to sudden raids, which forced them to make one inside Mother Base instead.

As soon as they opened the glass doors, the scent of freshness welcomed them. There were a few workers around, tending the crops or harvesting ripe ones.

"Ta~da! We're here!"

"I never got the chance to visit this place..." Azusa said as she glanced at the different kinds of plants grown in the greenhouse.

"Yup, you're too busy helping in the intel team or fishing."

Yui suddenly grabbed Azusa's arm. "There it is again, Azu-nyan..."

"Stalker? Relax it's just your..."

"Oh, good afternoon, Yui-chan, Azusa-chan." A girl greeted them with a garden spade in her hand.

"NOOO! You won't get me that easily!" Yui turned around and fired another rubber slug to the girl but was quickly evaded. The shot instead hit another unwary person behind who was carrying a sack of fertilizer.

"Uh, Yui-chan, are you okay?" Tsumugi asked.

"A-Ah, sorry, Mugi-chan! I...didn't mean to..." Yui stammered. "I thought that you were holding a knife and..."

"That's okay...no harm done." The keyboardist replied with her usual smile.

"Er...senpai..." Azusa pointed to the injured man lying on the floor.

"Oh my..."

"We got to bring the guy to the sickbay!" A worker wearing a scarf said in panic as he checked the condition of the unfortunate victim.

"Damn, it think something inside me died just now..." The man uttered.

"Uhm, Ms. Kotobuki, can you stay here for awhile? We won't take long." A woman with a long braided hair said.

"Oh, sure. No worries." Tsumugi replied.

"So, Mugi-senpai helps here too, huh? You sure enjoy a lot of stuff here..."

"It's best to enjoy them while we're still here. To be frank, I love gardening too."

"For how long?" Azusa asked with an uninterested face.

"I don't know myself..."

"Well, about Yui-senpai problem..." Azusa said, shifting her eyes to Yui. "She told me about someone has been following her around but I've never seen the person so far..."

"Hmm...could it be that someone who is interested in her?"

"Mugi-senpai, you think like Yamanaka-sensei..."

"I already sent two persons in the sickbay. At this rate...I...I..."

"Calm down, Yui-senpai!"

"I guess you should rest in the room for awhile Yui-chan...maybe you're just tired..." Tsumugi suggested.

"Maybe..."

"She's right, senpai. You just need some rest..." Azusa said. "Or you just ate expired cookies again..."

"I'll finish my duties here. Let Yui-chan rest in the room and I'll meet you in the mess hall during dinner."

"Hmm...senpai, I don't know what I should do..."

"I-It's okay..."

Following Tsumugi's suggestion, the two went to their room in the living quarters for Yui to rest for an hour. After their dinner in the mess hall, they went straight to their room. Ritsu rejoined the others after getting a good rest from her injury. Yui felt more better now after a good nap and meal but still vigilant for everyone around her, not to mention that she again introduced another unlucky visitor to the sickbay during dinner with her shotgun.

The feeling of being watched never subsided but she felt more secure inside their room and finally could release some tension. They were having their usual tea time when everything became dark after an earsplitting thunder then the scream of Mio followed, making neighboring rooms panic as well.

"Eh? The light's went off?" Yui asked the obvious.

"Mio-chan, it's alright." Tsumugi comforted.

"This storm sure is something." Ritsu said casually.

"This never happened before...maybe it's a sabotage..." Tsumugi speculated.

"It's just the storm, Mugi." Ritsu pointed out.

"Yes...maybe the lightning struck the base's power supply..."

"M-Mugi, don't say things like that..." Mio said anxiously. "Can someone hand over a flashlight?"

"I don't mind since I have this whole plate of cookies for myself." Yui said happily.

"Should we go outside to check what's happening?" Mio asked worriedly.

"Nah, we should stay here. They'll fix it..." Ritsu said, lying down on the floor lazily. "You're too worried..."

"Give me a flashlight then." Mio said in an irritated tone.

"Yui-senpai? Could you pass the cookies?" Azusa asked when she noticed that the guitarist soloed the whole plate of cookies but almost a minute already passed and there was no any response from Yui.

"Err...Senpai? Don't you dare hide those cookies from us!"

Out of the blue, the whole room turned bright orange when Tsumugi lit a gas lamp.

"Where did that came from?" Ritsu asked.

"Oh, I just remembered keeping this one just now."

With the lamp illuminating the room, Azusa looked around for Yui but there was no trace of her inside.

"Y-Yui-senpai's missing!" Azusa anxiously announced. "She was here a minute ago!"

"How could that happened?" Tsumugi worriedly asked as Mio became frozen solid in fear.

"W-What? Someone took her?" Ritsu exclaimed. "A person actually snuck inside our room and took Yui without us noticing?"

"T-That's impossible, no one could ever pull a trick that good!" Azusa followed. "Lucky that we're in an offshore plant, the culprit won't get away that easily."

"Is it just me, or it's gotten cold around here..." Ritsu said then noticed that the sliding window at the far end of the room was slightly open. "Oh, the window's open. I'll close it..."

"Oh...sure..." Mio said. "Wait...did you just said that the window's open?"

"Yep, something wrong with that?"

"Idiot!" Mio ran towards the window and peered below, allowing the cold wind and rain to enter their room. There was a rope with its hook firmly attached at the roof of the building. Their room was three stories high and seemed unimaginable how the whole process happened, not to mention that the storm made things harder.

"What did you found?" Tsumugi curiously asked.

"A grappling hook?" Ritsu said. "Whoever kidnapped Yui, he's insane! No one could climb that fast in this weather. How the heck did they got down together?"

"Wait...something's moving below!" Mio noticed an obscure figure carrying someone on its back and now fleeing to safety. "They're getting away! Ritsu, do something!"

"What? I can barely see them." Ritsu replied. "Besides, submachineguns are pretty useless in longer distances.

"You're useless..."

"What? Then, you go ahead and see if you could hit them!"

In desperation, Azusa slammed onto Ritsu, who nearly fell from the window, and carefully aligned the sight's of her sniper rifle to the target. "I can't aim properly, senpai, don't move!"

"Ack, why use me as a human stand!" Ritsu complained.

"Azusa, you might hit her!" Mio warned, knowing that the abductor was carrying Yui on its the back.

"Don't worry, it's only traquilizer rounds." Azusa replied calmly then fired a few shots to the abductor but her firing position restricted her to get a good aim to the target and eventually disappeared from her field of vision.

"If you only stop flailing around!"

"Ack...my stomach!" Ritsu exclaimed in pain as she remembered the bruise that she got from Yui's shotgun. "Have you got concern over the injured like me?"

"Hurry! We need to catch up!" Tsumugi said, changing her clothes to the standard MSF uniform.

Their conversation halted when Sawako kicked the door open and yelled at them with extreme ferocity. Himeko followed with the other soldiers from nearby rooms alarmed after hearing the gunshots. "What's with the racket here? I can't sleep with all of these noise!"

"Oh, what happened here?" Himeko inquired as she saw their drenched, anxious faces.

"Yui-chan's gone!" Tsumugi replied as they prepared themselves for the pursuit.

"...What? How could..." Himeko dropped the pillow she was holding.

"So...?" Sawako asked as she gave them a blank look for some seconds.

"Have a bit of concern on your students!" Tsumugi said as she perform a headlock to Sawako, imitating Ritsu. "Ah...I always wanting to do this too!"

"Mugi, That's my job!" Ritsu said, still clutching her stomach.

"Can't breathe..."

"Is that true? We need to find Yui now!" Himeko said in panic as she rushed back to her room.

"We should also report this to Miller-san!" Mio suggested.

"Shouldn't we report the situation to Snake instead?" Ritsu quickly replied.

"But...But...I'm scared..."

"Fine, I'll go to the command center and find Snake while you find the person who took Yui..."

"That's totally unfair!" Mio protested.

"There's no need to panic. We're in an offshore plant, plus, there's this storm. The kidnapper won't be going anytime soon." Sawako said reluctantly.

"I...pointed that out earlier..." Azusa mumbled.

"Easy for you to say." Ritsu said. "Are you going with us?"

"You girls go ahead...I need my beauty sleep..." Sawako drowsily replied, walking back to her room.

"Some other time, 'kay?"

"Well it seems that Sawa-chan is not involved in this..."

"What? If I were to kidnap one person from you girls, she will be definitely the last!"

"Why would they kidnap Yui in the first place anyway?" Mio asked.

"Maybe for the enemy to get information from her..." Tsumugi replied. "I shouldn't be thinking things like that now..."

"T-Torture?" Ritsu exclaimed. "But that's...she don't know anything! She's totally clueless!"

"Yui's going to be tortured?" Mio asked in surprise, tending not to believe what Ritsu said. Unpleasant things started to form in her head.

"The bad guys would slowly drain her poor soul until she gives in using horrid, unconventional forms of torture materials that will surely..."

"Shut up, I heard enough!" Mio interrupted with a strong punch to the face of the drummer.

"Ow...and then...CRASH, MINCE, BOOM!" Ritsu continued with exaggeration.

"You want some more, Ritsu?"

"Could it be its one of Yui's admirers then?" Tsumugi guessed as the two looked at her with wide-opened mouths.

"That's too...awkward..." Ritsu replied.

"Enough with this small talk...please..." Azusa spoke in a loud voice.

"Oh, great, we wasted a few good minutes there..."

Mio and Tsumugi went to the command center to inform the situation to Snake while the rest went to find the kidnapper. The rest, together with some other soldiers who volunteered to help them, checked the buildings near the living quarters, hoping that they could catch up. Ritsu's group soon entered the mess hall, equipped with night vision goggles and their weapons at the ready. The occasional flash of lightning illuminated the building.

"Why do I get the feeling that this happened before?" Tsumugi asked.

"It's just you, Mugi." Ritsu replied. "Why on earth are we checking the mess hall?"

"Well, places you least expect to appear are the best ones to look at first."

"W-Who's that?" Azusa asked as she heard footsteps from their right, slowly closing in. They soon saw someone walking towards them, then stopped as the group aimed their weapons at the person.

"Don't move any closer, or I'll shoot." Himeko warned with her pistol at the ready.

"You won't get away now, bastard!" Ritsu bursted out. "This is for kidnapping Yui!"

"Yui-senpai!" Azusa cried upon recognizing the ditzy guitarist in the darkness, hugging her tightly.

"Eh? Well, I'll be damned...it's Yui..."

"We're so worried..."

"It's good to see you, Azus...Azu-nyan." Yui nervously replied.

"Are you okay, senpai?" Azusa asked.

"I...managed to ran away from the kidnapper...I'm scared..."

"Don't worry, you're safe now."

"I'll report this now to the others." Ritsu said, bringing out her radio.

They regrouped at the command center's lounge where Snake and the others patiently waiting for the news. At that point, only the backup power supply was providing electricity to the vital equipments, facilities and emergency lighting throughout the vulnerable fortress. Although, attackers should think thrice. Yes. Thrice, or ZEKE won't be happy.

"We found Yui!" Ritsu announced.

"Thank goodness..." Mio said in relief. "Well, that solved one problem..."

"What about the kidnapper?" Tsumugi inquired.

"We haven't found him yet."

"What's the status?" Kaz asked the soldier who just recently arrived after Ritsu's group got in the lounge.

"Sir, I'm positive that the power failure is not caused by the storm. It is more of a sabotage." The soldier informed, soaked from the rain outside. "We are already doing the necessary repairs and the power will be back shortly since the damage is not that heavy."

"W-What? How could that happened?" Kaz uttered in surprise. "Is it a spy?"

"W-We got ourselves a spy in Mother Base?" Mio asked surprisingly.

"If he's a spy, then it would be a disadvantage for his part, right? I mean, naturally, a spy won't reveal his cover."

"Oh...you have a point there..."

"We also found fragments of a small explosive device with some kind of timer." The soldier added.

"Hmm...I presume that he used the storm as an excellent cover to make it less noticeable." Snake said.

"But there's something that is not clear..."

"What is it, Boss?" Kaz asked.

"If his mission was to sabotage the base...why would he set a timer in the first place?"

"True...he could have used much powerful explosives. I'm sure there's some sort of an ulterior motive on this one..."

Tsumugi tried to assemble the pieces and came up with something although it was quite vague. She then spoke confidently to grab everyone's attention, breaking the silence in the lounge. "It's definitely connected to Yui's kidnapper!" Everyone stared at her blankly before she continued. "The person sabotaged the power supply must be the same one who kidnapped Yui."

"Maybe, but he could have picked someone else..." Kaz pointed out. "Someone with more...info..."

"I guess you're right..."

"The true motive is still unknown..." Azusa said then noticed a pale and nervous Yui behind them.

"Yui-senpai...are you sure that you're feeling okay?"

"It's nothing..." She replied softly, shivering in her drenched uniform.

"For goodness sake, why not ask Yui? She's the one who was kidnapped!" Ritsu shouted then turned to the guitarist. "Yui? Did you saw the face of the kidnapper?"

"Ah...well, he was wearing a balaclava..." Yui nervously said.

"This won't get us anywhere at all!"

"Admit it...you're not Yui." Sawako appeared from the darkness as everyone else looked at her confusingly with a 'Where the hell did you spawn?' look. "Ui-chan...give up now."

Silence filled the room as if they tried to absorb what Sawako just said.

"W-What? Ui? But that's..." Mio stammered.

"B-but sensei, I'm Yui." The girl insisted.

"Then who's this?" Sawako pointed at the person lying on the couch.

"There are two Yuis?" Ritsu said in astonishment.

"Idiot! Of course, one is an impostor!" Mio replied from the nonsense of the drummer.

"Where did you found her?" Tsumugi asked.

"In your room, quite clever, no? She was carrying a mere decoy...the real Yui is still in the room but tranquilized..." Sawako explained in somewhat a detective fashion.

"But, she's not in the room!" Azusa replied as she recalled that there was no trace of Yui in their room.

"Oh, I forgot about this..." Sawako showed them a portable device that they immediately recognized.

"Is that a stealth camouflage?" Tsumugi noticed.

"I don't get it..." Ritsu whispered.

"What part you don't get?" Sawako asked as she heard the drummer.

"What the hell are you doing in our room?"

"Well...about that...I was just checking some leftover snacks and..."

"So, that's why some of our snacks magically disappears!"

"Yui-senpai, we owe you an apology..." Azusa said in a soft voice. "All those days of arguments..."

"If you think of it, she might have used a better way since she got a stealth camouflage of her own but I guess she's more concerned in her sister's safety and come up with something more harder on her part instead."

"That's sisterly love for ya." Ritsu said.

"I don't know if Yamanaka-sensei is simply amazing or not." Mio mumbled to herself.

"I...I..." Ui fell to the ground, admitting her defeat. "You got me sensei..."

"You're Yui's sister?" Kaz said in disbelief. "Oh, god...what's with the sudden appearances of these girls..."

"It's quite obvious, idiot. They're almost like twins, y'know?" Ritsu said. "But, yeah, I'll definitely agree about us being teleported in this time."

"This is totally absurd."

"I only made things worse for her...maybe if I didn't followed her here..." Ui sobbed.

"Why not join us?" Tsumugi offered.

"So we're recruiting another one, huh?" Kaz just sighed. "Boss, your call..."

"Well, do we have other choices now?" Snake asked as he lit a cigar. "Oh, can you make us some maté too?"

"When I learned that Onee-chan is here. I took the chance when they chose me to gather intel about this place and plan bringing Onee-chan with me on my way back but...I shouldn't did that in the first place..."

"Who sent you here, Ui-chan?" Azusa inquired.

"C-CIA..."

There was an eerie silence afterwards...

...

...

...

Ritsu stared at Yui's sister with an open mouth. "Wai...What?"

Kaz himself was also dumbfounded. "Can I use the bathroom?"

"I can't believe you joined the CIA just to find Yui..." Mio said, seemed quite more commending Ui.

"...Is that a bad thing?"

"Think before you do something!" Ritsu shouted which made Ui wince a bit. "How did you get inside?"

"Oh, my insertion method? I simply blend in myself in the group of new recruits."

"You're insane..."

"Maybe we should be more cautious about our recruitment methods..." Kaz mumbled.

"To think of it, your the one handling that now..."

"Are you saying something, Boss?"

"I watched Onee-chan the whole time; the moment she wakes up until she sleeps. I learned all about the base doing that, but, I guess she noticed my presence and felt really uncomfortable. I...I..."

"I'm sure she won't be mad at you. In fact, she will be happy seeing you here..." Azusa said with a smile.

"...Really?"

"At least, you aren't that desparate enough to hijack ZEKE just to fetch your older sister." Kaz said uneasily while gazing outside.

"Um...to be honest, that was my last resort..." Ui replied shyly. "They've ordered me to hijack your bipedal weapon system but don't worry, I have no intention of doing that."

"You somehow reminded me of this particular 'highschool' girl..."


End file.
